A Life Once Dreamed
by MorikoTheHalfAngel
Summary: (Cover Image: Drawn by me!) Moriko is bored of her life, and often would rather delve into her own fantasies and imagination. For once, one comes true, and her life becomes one of amazement. (This is a rewritten version of Inuyasha: My New Life) Rated M for language, violence, and future sexual themes.
1. Birthday Surprises

EY YO GUESS WHO FINALLY IS REWRITING THIS STORY! So excited! I'm pumped! My writing has improved a LOT since 2013 so I hope everyone enjoys this version more!

Disclaimer: While many of my own ideas and characters reside in this story, it is all originated from the wonderful and amazing Rumiko Takahashi. God bless her.

 **Bold signifies POV**

Chapter 1: Birthday Surprises

 **Moriko**

I really hate school. I mean, _really_ hate it- and I know I'm not the only person who is filled with dread as soon as the bus rolls into the drop-off lane. I wait until everyone else gets off the bus to stand.

"Bye, Jeff! See you later!" I wave my hand to the bus driver. Bad choice.

My foot slips off the edge of the step and I tumble down to the concrete. I remember that on the way down I grabbed for the railing but only ended up jamming my finger. A few groups of students are laughing, some others are staring in pity. None of them go to help me up.

"Madison, Jesus! Are you okay?" Jeff goes to stand but I wave him off.

"It's cool, I've got a hard head." I grin, painfully. _If only it was just my head._

I stand and brush off my clothes. A slight smear of blood on my hand catches my eye. A light scrape. No biggie. I turn and walk towards the high school entrance. I've already lost the interest of my fellow peers. _Thank God._

I tend to be pessimistic about school days, but for good reason. I'm known for my bad luck. It's like I have an imp that constantly follows my shadow at every waking moment.

 _Ha, I'm_ so _funny._ When you make a reference to yourself, it's kinda hard to laugh when no one else is there to groan at your stupid joke. _I can't wait for lunch._

The hours pass by, too slow for my taste, but they passed nonetheless. I enjoyed choir, but I'm ready for a break.

I wait in the lunch line. Burgers today.

"Fries?"

"Mashed potatoes, please."

I pay and leave to sit at our group's table. My good friend Kelsey is already there. _The lucky bastard always gets to the line early._

"Is Tiauna here today?" She asks.

"Yep." I sit next to her, and just like every other day, Tiauna attempts to sneak up behind me.

" _Hello,_ Tiauna." I mutter without turning around.

"Ugh, how do you always know?!" Tiauna pulls out a chair next to me, glaring at me incredulously.

"I'm the 'psychic' friend, remember? I know _everything_." I snicker.

She rolls her eyes. "God, you sound like my _mother_."

We all giggle to ourselves. My mood lightens.

"We had a God-awful algebra test to- ugh!" Tiauna wrinkles her nose as she opens her milk. "Spoiled again!"

I shrug. "The usual."

Kelsey douses her burger in ketchup. "What did you expect? A school that has hardly any funding isn't going to care about expiration dates. One lady told me she didn't even know they had them!"

I sigh. "Common sense is at a loss to humanity. We must adapt."

"Pfft, so dramatic!" Tiauna laughs as she tosses a fry into her mouth. "So," She swallows. "What are we gonna do for your bday? Sleepover? Party? Sleepover party?"

I smile. "Probably, in the next week or so. Mom would hate to have the house so unclean when you guys come over. We'll probably have a cleaning weekend."

Tiauna claps to herself. "Okay! Is Kelly coming over, too? I haven't seen her in a while!"

I poke her nose. "Of course, she is silly! Why wouldn't she? She's my best friend!"

She pouts. "And I'm not? You wound me…"

"Hardy har har, Ti."

The bell rings. We say our farewells and go to our separate classes. I head to English.

My English teacher never ceases to amaze me. She's quirky, full of spunk, and is genuinely interested in hearing our ideas of things! _We need more teachers like that._

Zack and I talk most of the hour after we're done with our work. When we first met, we quickly became good friends. Sometimes, I wonder if I like him more than that.

We stare at the clock, counting down the seconds till the bell rings once again. Fifth hour. Algebra.

An easy, quiet hour. Lucas and I, after finishing our work, doodle random manga shit on the whiteboard. He's better than I am. I compliment his new character design. He smiles brightly. He doesn't do that often.

Coach Myers tells us to pack our bags. He has to get to the fieldhouse before sixth hour. We leave before the bell.

I wait outside of the classroom next to my algebra class. Computer education. The bell rings and students pour out. I enter and sit at my assigned seat. Eleven. I hate it. It's almost physically painful just to look at it. Sometimes people say I might have OCD, but that's serious. I can't have it. I'm not _that bad_. Sure, I have to do something an equal amount of times on both hands, but that's normal, right? Sure, I have to step on a crack an equal amount of times on one foot, same as the other, but other people do that, right? Sure I pick at the many bumps on my skin and have multiple intrusive thoughts a day, but that's… _No, that's not normal._

My lucky number is twelve. I don't like eleven. A girl named Jessica sits next to me at twelve. I'm jealous. Jacob sits on my left at ten. I'm still jealous. Eleven isn't a nice number. The only thing nice about it is when it's combined with an even number. 22, 44, 66, 88. Nice numbers. But combine it with itself? 121. Not nice.

I screw around on Paint the whole hour. The bell rings. I walk across the school to the buses. I sit in the front, right behind Jeff. I'm slightly annoyed. They changed buses today. It's no longer four.

It's eleven.

* * *

I wave bye to Jeff, not turning around this time, as I step onto the grass. The bus literally picks us up and drops us off directly across the street from my house. _Lucky me_. I sigh at my own sarcasm. _You know, you could just stop being so pessimistic if you put your mind to it._

 _Yeah, but I'd rather not. It's the easiest way to deal with disappointment._

 _Touché._

I run across the street and start to feel a little better about getting home. It'll be short lived once my family is all here, but while my mom is running errands, I can rest easy. With nothing but our pets to keep me company, I'm happiest. Mom says I'm a recluse. I don't think so. It's just hard for me to like people, and understandably so.

Growing up was rough. I was a punching bag for everyone, even the people I called "friends". They all treated me the same, though. I was always so angry, even at such a young age. Kelly, God bless her, was my first ever friend that I immediately latched onto — and she did the same to me. We had so much in common, so many similar hobbies, skills, and personalities… And pasts. She didn't have it any easier than I did. We both suffered abuse. Hers was mainly emotional, while mine was mainly physical, but we experienced both either way. From family and from our fellow peers.

Even our fights are short lived. I've never had such harmless fights over stupid things, honestly, but I've never been so readily forgiving or forgiven. We both have tempers, and while mine is, at this point, nearly non-existent when it comes to my friends, we know how to talk to each other at this point. Communication can be… Difficult. For anyone.

Our similarities know no boundaries. Hell, we both even suffer chronic pain and are a doctor's worst nightmare!

I smile as I open the front door, greeted by my two small dogs and my kitten, who practically acts like a dog. I give them all some love, talking in my high-pitched baby voice. Surprisingly, for one with as low a voice as I, I can alter my pitch extremely well. Choir has its good points, I suppose.

I stand, walking through the living room to go to Yuki's, my other fairly young cat, favorite hiding spot in the kitchen. Instantly at the sound of my voice, she runs to me, mewing. Despite her weight, she can run pretty damn fast. _And yet she gets stuck under my parent's bed all the time._ I chuckle to myself as I rub her face. I walk back to the living room and run up the stairs to my room. It took a hefty amount of convincing to make my parents let me have this room instead of my two much, much younger sisters. Hell, it comes with its own bathroom and a stand in shower — what five or three year-old is gonna use that?

I close the door behind me after Dexter, my kitten, runs in. If I left him out there, he'd be screaming at my door. I don't want to bring on another migraine, so I relent. I throw my backpack in the corner of my large room. It was made to be more of a game room, so it's larger than the master's, not that _I_ mind. I flop onto my bed and close my tired eyes. _Maybe I'll nap._

Despite my fifteenth birthday being tomorrow, Dad is out of town on a work trip and won't be back until the weekend. A few more days, and then my family will have our annual birthday outing for me, and then I'll have a party with just my friends. My mind drifts on plans for the weekend and I smile. A few more weeks until Spring break, since this is the last week of February. I could use the rest, truly.

With that thought in mind, I drift into a light slumber as always. I'm pretty sure I've only ever entered REM sleep maybe ten times in my life. I'm such a light sleeper that even a slight noise or squeak of the fan could instantly have me jolting awake from my nightly nightmares. I don't have good dreams. Never. I lucid dream, but I can't control them. I can only be aware that I'm asleep, but the hyper-realism still gets to me often. I can feel the pain, and sometimes, I can even remember if I've had the dream before. My dreams always end with me dead, though. Even if they aren't actually me, it's always in first person, and I, whoever I may be, will always end up dead in some way or another.

 _Hopefully, my luck will give me a dreamless nap._

It didn't.

* * *

I wake up with a start, perspiration gathering on my neck and forehead. I look down to see Dexter batting at my feet with his claws. Sadly, I had already reached death in the dream, but the end of it was left lingering at the sight of my failure. I sigh at the memory of the dream. I was in a war. I think I was an American soldier, a man, in an Arabic war, yet for some reason, as I was trying to protect many families, grenades launching at our near-to-collapse 'safe' haven, my own comrades were determined to kill them. And at the sight of my protection, I became one of the enemies. The building collapsed on us. I was able to get out with a small girl. The rest were crushed. I ran with her in my arms, to get her to safety. And I failed. I failed her. I was shot in the head and I fell with her still in my arms. For some reason, we landed in a small water encasement. She drowned in my arms.

Tears burn at the edge of my eyes. I could still feel her terror. I furiously rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. _It was only a nightmare! Get ahold of yourself! Breathe!_

I sit up quickly, startling the animal at my feet. I stand at the foot of my short bed. No bed frame to hold it up. Just some springs and a simple mattress. A very decent size, though, I must say. I look at my phone to see how long my nap was. Two hours, nearing 5:30. Nearly dinner time, and everyone, excluding my father, is home.

I pick up Dexter and hold him close to my chest to calm myself. I head downstairs, waiting for the girls to come running.

"Maddy! Maddy! Maddy!" Kylie yells and runs to hug my legs as I near the bottom of the steps. She only just turned five. Lucille stays in the kitchen with mom, watching her cook.

Sometimes I forget they're my sisters. Well, _half_ -sisters, considering my mom and dad married just seven years ago. He's not actually my step-dad, though. I'm a bastard child and mom raised me herself as a teenager. Michael was nice enough to adopt me as his own when they married. I can say that I'm grateful, but I could've done without the emotional abuse from either of them. It still irks me, especially considering it continues.

"Oh, you're awake! Can you come set the table, please? I just made some grilled chicken." My mom doesn't turn to look as she finishes cooking our meal.

"Sure, Mom." I set Dexter on the ground as he darts away, likely to go find Yuki and play fight. I open the cupboard and grab some plates and set them at the table. I pour drinks for all of us and go to sit, and I wait.

Part of me just wants to go hide in my room. I'm not hungry. The girl's frantic eyes still haunt me.

 _Just one piece. I need to eat._

My stomach disagrees, nonetheless. _Damn it._

* * *

Sleep was uneventful, as it often is. Sometimes dreamless, sometimes nightmares. I only get a few hours of sleep a night. How do I survive? I'll never know.

I get up and get dressed for school. _Backpack? Check. Hair brushed? Check. Purse? Check!_ I grab my bag and purse and slowly make my way downstairs. I stroll into the large, tiled kitchen, set my bags on the table, and open the backdoor. "Daisy! Buddy! Come out!" I whisper towards my parents' room, in the hall next to the kitchen, my sisters' room down a bit further. The two dogs in question come scampering out and bolt for the door to relieve themselves. As the two leave the door, another small animal darts between my feet before I close the door. _SHIT!_

"Dexter! No! Come back here, cat!" I run out to chase the bastard, slamming the door behind me. I catch up quickly as he rounds the corner to the side of the house. I follow, and I freeze. He stopped at a strange anomaly, one that should not have been there, and never _was_ there.

 _Where the fuck did a_ well _come from?!_

I continue forward and quickly grab the kitten and dart towards the backdoor. I toss him inside and go back out to investigate.

As I near the aged, wooden well, I feel… _Something_. An odd pull. I inch closer to it, only a few feet away. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I chuckle. _It… Looks like the Bone-Eater's Well from InuYasha._

Though, obviously, there's no possible way for it to be that. But despite my doubt, an uneasiness settles in my bones.I suddenly get the inclination to turn around, and a small gasp escapes my lips.

Dad cut down all the trees in our backyard for firewood. We had no trees. Yet, I stare at the giant tree, towering above the houses in my suburban neighborhood. A scar remains at its front.

 _It looks like Goshinboku?! What the Hell is happening?! I'm dreaming. I've gotta be, but damn, this is the calmest dream I've ever fucking had._

That single thought is wiped from my mind as I feel a searing pain in my side. I feel myself lifted and soon a starry blue void surrounds me. Hands on my face turn, and my blood runs cold.

Her fangs, her Cheshire-like grin, and her near empty eyes are facing me.

A choked gasp leaves my throat as the centipede demon shrieks in Japanese. "The jewel! Give me the jewel, damned mortal!"

 _WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I-_

Panic envelops me and I start to hyperventilate as her face gets closer to mine, my red blood dripping from her mouth. My voice comes back with a force as I scream and slam my hand into her face out of sheer fight response.

I watch as her face is burned, a strange light emanating from the palm of my hand. She screams in agony and is thrown farther away from me into the blue void. I slowly find myself lowered onto a dirt covered ground, and the blue fades.

And then I do what any rational person would do at this moment in time.

I fainted.

* * *

A/N: I hope all of my previous story followers enjoy this! Hell, maybe even new ones, too!

I, most likely, will try to update every week.

Hopefully.  
Maybe.


	2. A Soft Voice and a Gentle Awakening

Hello, everyone!

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your lovely reviews and messages!

I also have to mention that in the previous chapter, I accidentally put 'twelve times eleven' instead of 'eleven times eleven'. (12x11 does not equal 121)

On another note, Inuyasha may _seem_ a little OOC in this chapter, but you also have to remember his little shy moments with Kagome at the beginning. She didn't know him, nor did she understand who/what he was. She just thought he was a jerk, and treated him like so. (And she wasn't really prepared to be attacked by said jerk, either.) Kagome also looked and slightly smelled like Kikyo, as well. _Very different reactions here._

Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: All of you who wish to be as successful as Rumiko Takahashi, raise your hand!

* * *

Chapter 2: A Soft Voice and a Gentle Awakening

 **Moriko**

Slowly, my senses start to come back to me. The sound of the wind from outside reaches my ears first. The pain on my side aches, and is only lightly bleeding now. Most of it has dried to my t-shirt, but a large amount from before dried on my leg and into my sweat-shorts.

 _Well, no saving any of these._

I blink, expecting to adjust to the light of the sun. Instead, I'm met with darkness, and a vast array of stars in the sky. _What the Hell?! Was I out for that long?_

I sit up quickly and gasp as the wound on my side reopens. I quickly push my hand against the torn skin and despite the pain, I become overwhelmed with a sense of confusion.

 _There's… Something hard…_

I probe to bring the hard bump in my side to the surface of the bite. A little sphere, covered in blood. I wipe the blood off onto my shirt and take a closer look, my eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.

It's pink. And it's glowing.

"Holy shit."

The Shikon jewel?! What the Hell?! _I feel like I've been thinking that a little too much today._

Despite my surprise and confusion, the blood dripping onto the dirt quickly grabs my attention at the renewed dampness. I shake my head and shove the jewel into my pocket. _I'll deal with that later._

I, after a few attempts, stand and go to climb the vines on the side of the well. The strength in my arms helps hoist me up and over, but my side makes using my abs nearly impossible without a shock of pain. Eventually, I roll onto the grass, albeit with a lot of painful groans.

 _Part of me just wants to lay here staring at the… Midnight? — Sky. Another part of me wants to figure out what's going on. The former sounds much easier._

I sigh and slowly sit up. I use the edge of the well to help myself stand. The wound continues to bleed, and I start to worry. Blood loss is no laughing matter, and if I faint here, right now, out in the open, there is an incredibly strong chance of me being devoured by some wandering youkai. I take off my shirt, leaving me in just my sports bra, and wrap it tightly around my waist. It hurts, but hopefully will slow the bleeding. _Now is not the time for modesty_. I glance at the well again and a shiver runs up my spine.

 _Oh my God, I'm actually_ here. _This… Is both amazing and terrifying._

"Okay, so, where is-?" I stand on my tip-toes, searching around for Goshinboku, knowing that it isn't far. As I turn my head to the right, I see it, towering over all of the other trees in the forest. _His forest._

I take a deep breath and start heading in his direction, my heart beating wildly. As I walk, I attempt to answer some questions thrown around my mind. _I'm guessing it's midnight because of the 15-hour time zone difference. I must've been out just a couple of hours._

Another thought crosses my mind and my steps falter on the worn path. _Mistress Centipede… Somehow, when she spoke to me, I understood perfectly…_

As someone who's had practice with the Japanese language, I know a very fair amount, and could likely hold my own if I were ever to travel to Japan, but I don't know _every_ word, and correct grammar sometimes leaves my mind. But when she spoke, it's like it was translating itself for me in my mind. I can't say I'm fluent, but the thought that I never knew what the word for 'mortal' was when she said it stuck with me. I knew what she said perfectly. A word I did not have memorized. _I wonder if I can say them, too…_

As these thoughts swirl in my mind, I quickly find myself nearing the large tree. I stare in awe at the hanyou before me, the moon and stars shining down on him, giving him a warm but eerie glow. Butterflies instantly flutter in my stomach, and I try my damnedest to quell my nervousness. _Should I plan out what to say? Or should I just go for it? I'd rather not do the same thing Kagome did…_

Sucking in a quick breath, I stroll towards the large roots and climb towards Sleeping Beauty. I stand close to him, and must I say, he is _cute_. With boyish features, silver hair, puppy ears atop his head, and tanned skin… I can't help but smile. _And before I wake him…_

I reach atop his ears and rub them. Inwardly screaming, I can't help but giggle aloud. _So soft!_ _Okay, okay, Madison. Get down to business._

I lean forward, my nose a little less than a foot away from his. _Welp, here goes nothing._

"Inuyasha?" I whisper softly.

No response. I try again, softly, but in my normal voice. "Inuyasha."

An ear flicks once, but no other signs of movement. _Almost there_ …

I set my hand on his cheek. "Can you wake up for me, please?"

I nearly knock myself over in shock. I spoke the words perfectly, like I had always known them.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

Blood. Not sure whose, and not sure why it's so near, but it's strong. For an instant, my mind reels back to an arrow piercing my heart, Kikyo's blood penetrating my senses. _Kikyo!_ _She's wounded! She's-!_

I stop. _She betrayed me._ My panic morphs into ire. In the back of my mind, I know that the blood I'm smelling isn't her scent, but I still feel a burning rage at her memory. _I'll make her pay. She'll regret ever doing that to me!_

"Inuyasha."

A soft but low voice brushes against my conscious. A girl. Human. Close. _Too close_. _She's the one bleeding… And… She isn't Kikyo._

I feel something touch my cheek, my sense of touch slowly returning. The stranger's touch sets me on edge, but for some reason, her words make me relax slightly.

"Can you wake up for me, please?"

As each second passes, my muscles slowly start to relieve themselves of their tension. My hearing and my sense of touch and smell fully restored… _Now for my eyes._

My face scrunches painfully, like I had been made of stone. Since there's no light beyond my closed eyes, I'm guessing it's night. _What human comes out to the forest at night?_

"Hey, easy now, it's been awhile since you've moved." A pause. I can feel her breath reach my face. "I'm glad the sun isn't out, that would probably hurt your eyes." She softly giggles. _Giggles? Okay, what the fuck is going on._

I try to open my eyes once again; her hand leaves my cheek with a gentle caress as my face tenses. Slowly, my eyelids part, leaving me rapidly blinking for my eyes to adjust. _And to see who the Hell is in front of me_.

I raise my head slightly and, finally, open my eyes fully.

A girl smiles back at me softly. "Hello."

I don't reply, but I stare at her strange features. Her hair color is one I've had yet to see, despite the youkai I've met throughout my life. It's like a dulled gold. Her jaw is slightly squared, like Kikyo's, but her nose is wide, not small, and while she's not as tan as me, she's definitely not pale, either. Her eyes are narrow and angled down, like Kikyo's, but instead of blue, a mix of green and brown stares back at me. _Why is Kikyo the only thing coming to my mind, damn it!_

 _You know why, stupid. She was the last face you saw._ I huff at that.

"Inuyasha?" Her face turns into worry. _Worry?_ "Are you okay? Is the arrow bugging you? I need to talk to you before I pull it out."

That grabs my attention. "To-," my voice comes out rough from disuse. I clear my throat and try again. "To do what?" I manage.

She smiles brightly. _Weird_. "I need to talk to you about some things before I free you from Kikyo's spell, okay? Can you remain patient with me?" Her voice is soft, but firm. _Sounds more like an order than a request._

I frown. _She mentioned Kikyo. Does she know her?_

At my change of face, so does hers, but to one of… Is that fucking _sympathy_?

"I'll explain everything to you after I remove the arrow. I hope that you will remain to at least listen to what I have to say. Right here, on these roots. Is that okay?" She keeps a soothing tone, and reaches to grasp the arrow lodged into my chest.

"Okay." I mumble. _Part of me wants to dart away, but… I'm also curious… She seems to know something. And damn it, I want to know what it is!_

* * *

 **Moriko**

I grab the arrow and pull. It glows and disappears in my hand, freeing the spellbound hanyou. He doesn't move. I reach to take the vines off of him and he jolts.

"Don't touch me!" He growls, baring his fangs.

"Sorry!" I throw my hands up and away. _Well, his attitude sure has returned._

I turn around and jump onto the grass and sit on a large root near the base of the tree. I look up at him and wait for his move. He looks at me warily as he starts to stiffly pull away from the tree. As he goes to jump down he stops and sniffs, glancing at my bloody waist.

 _Oh boy…_ _I pray that double ds only held back by a sports bra don't scare him away._

At first, his face has only traces of confusion, and maybe a little bit of concern. Surprisingly, he has zero qualms when it comes to my nearly bare upper body, yet his face quickly turns to a scowl as he meets my eyes again.

"So, you wanted to tell me something?" He crosses his arms and leans his side against the tree. Despite his scowl, his nose flares, working overtime.

"Yeah, but, I'm sorry, is the blood bugging you?" I whisper cautiously. _Don't scare him away. Stay calm and talk to him. He doesn't know you at all whatsoever, do NOT screw this up!_

He doesn't answer right away, only glances back down at my blood-soaked shirt. "How'd that happen?" He mumbles, motioning his head towards my side. "Surprised you ain't dead."

 _Flattering._ "Mistress Centipede. She dragged me here, and is still out to get me. But besides that, I'll ask Kaede to patch it up later." I lean forward and motion him to sit. "Please, sit. I need to have a serious conversation with you. I know you just woke up, but I swear, I'll tell you everything and anything more you may ask."

His brow furrows in wariness. Slowly, he relents, and goes to sit, his arms still crossed, ears forward. I smile. "Thank you."

I clasp my hands together and sit up straight – and immediately regret it when my side stretches. My face contorts, and I bite my lip as a groan attempts to escape my lips. "Fuuuuucckk." I slump back down, take a breath, and look back up at him with determination. His face has only a hint of worry, but is quickly squashed when I look at him again. "Okay! First off, you're probably going to have the surprise of your life at the things I'm going to say, and they will probably be hard to believe, but if I were to lie to you, may God strike me down where I stand… Eh, sit."

He shrugs. _Talkative one, aren't you?_

"Okay, so, to start," I close my eyes, and I decide to keep them closed for the time being. "You've been pinned to that tree for fifty years. You were pinned by the miko Kikyo, who you believe betrayed you. She believed, at the same day she died, when you were pinned, that you betrayed her. She believed that you gave her those wounds. You believed that she called you a half-breed and shot arrows at you. You're both wrong." I open my eyes to gauge his expression and am taken aback.

His eyes are wide, and his mouth is slightly open, his arms no longer crossed, instead gripping his knees. I continue.

"Kikyo kept a secret from you, fearing that if you knew, you'd be angry with her. A horrible man named Onigumo was burnt and paralyzed, and Kikyo cared for him in a cave near the clearing not far from here. He became obsessed with her, and wanted to become powerful to take her as his own. To do this, he called upon a large mass of youkai, youkai that wanted revenge on Kikyo and to take the Shikon jewel for themselves. He absorbed them into his body, and from that body came a formidable enemy named Naraku. Are you keeping up with all of this?" I ask my question softly.

His face remained in shock as I spoke, then slowly turned to confusion. He nods dumbly, and a question grazes his tongue silently. "Do you have a question?" I ask.

His mouth snaps shut and puts on a scowl. Despite his look, his mouth has trouble forming words. "W-w-well, it seems like you're telling the truth, but what does that have to do with me and…" His ears lower slightly, but his scowl remains.

"I'm getting there. It's okay." I smile at him gently. _He's still angry and doesn't seem to trust me all that much. At least he believes me a little. I hate to throw this all at him but now is a perfect time as any._ "Naraku wanted Kikyo dead and the Shikon jewel for himself, but you were in the way, protecting her. He knew you two cared for each other, but he also knew that you two had a very fragile trust," His scowl drops at that, looking down and away. "He used that to his advantage. He took your form and slashed Kikyo as she waited for you. He told her cruel words, and she believed it was you. He then stashed the jewel back at the shrine and took Kikyo's form. He shot at you, and said cruel words to make you angry. He wanted to pin the blame on you. So, you went to steal the jewel, almost escaped, and Kikyo dragged her wounded self to the shrine and sealed you to the tree. Naraku would have gotten everything he wanted, except Kikyo had the jewel burned with her body. So, for the past fifty years, and even now as we speak, he has been wreaking havoc all across Japan for power."

I slowly stand and hold my hand out to him, palm up. "You and I were meant to meet. To avenge Kikyo, and to save this world, to gain friends and allies, and to end this needless suffering." I keep my hand held out and lower myself to one knee. "You are more powerful than you know, and you become even more so. More powerful than any youkai, surpassing even the greatest of enemies. We will have our lost battles, to be fair, but hopefully, with my knowledge, we can escape any worse fates from befalling us. All I ask is that," I lower my head in a small bow. _I feel so dramatic, but he needs to understand just how serious I am about this._ "Will you trust me as I trust you, Inuyasha?"

Silence. Not even the slightest rustle of trees. No chirping crickets. Nothing but my breathing and my heart beating in my ears. I keep my hand out.

"Please," I raise my head to look at him. He's staring at my hand. _He's arguing with himself_. I hold back a chuckle at the shifting emotions crossing his face. "And I would not just want you to be my comrade, but my friend, as well." His eyes meet mine again, and I can see the warring thoughts in them. At moments, I see distrust, and others, I see… What seems to be gratitude. _Though he would never admit to that._ But the most prominent emotion he portrays is utter shock, which is to be expected. What person just comes to you one night and say, 'Oh, by the way, everything you knew is a lie and a lot of shit is gonna go down in the future. Wanna trust a random stranger that so suddenly wants to be your friend?'

I mentally groan at my stupidity. _Maybe I should've let it out slow. He's not going to-_

His hand moves, slowly, hesitantly, towards my open palm. Gently, he grasps my hand for a mere second and then darts his hand back as though I burned him. I cock my head to the side and grin. "Is that a yes?"

He takes a deep breath and quickly nods, but for some reason, I feel anger rolling off of him in waves. Part of me wants to ask him. _Probably not a good idea at the moment._

I slowly, painfully stand and plop back down on the root. I giggle. "I'm glad!"

He looks at me again, anger ceasing, an eyebrow raised as he stares at me incredulously. "You're… _Glad_? About what?"

"That you trust me, too, silly! And I wasn't joking about being friends with you. Obviously, at the moment, you know nothing about me, but we have a whole night for that." I gesture to the quarter moon above us. Likely another five hours till dawn. "Now, you can ask any questions you want. I'll tell you whatever you want to know." I fold my hands in my lap and lean forward, prepared for anything. _Shoot 'em!_

His odd stare falters into unease at my sudden attention. His usual grumpy attitude snaps back at me. "Why do you care?"

I raise my eyebrows at that. _I was NOT prepared for that question…_ I tap my chin thoughtfully, humming to myself. "Weeeelll, considering that I'd like to be your friend, I have to care about what you think, right?" I grin, mentally patting myself on the back.

His frown eases into a thin line, eyebrows still furrowed. He closes his eyes and scratches his head. _Awe, he's really trying to think of something!_

"What's your name?"

I nearly fall backwards at my own idiocy. _What a great friend you are, forgetting to even tell a person you just met your NAME. Smooth, Madison, smooth._

I go to answer, but I stop myself. I don't like my name. I don't want to be known as that. I want something familiar, with meaning. My mind shoots back to a nickname given to me by a few of my friends; sometimes they still call me it. I loved it. And I still do. My adoration for nature gave me such a title.

"Moriko. My name is Moriko." I reply, smiling.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

 _Forest child, huh?_ I roll the name over a few times in my head. "Moriko." I mutter.

"Yep!" She grins.

I sigh and scratch my ears again. As I bring them to my chin I catch a scent on my fingers. Her scent. _Did she?... Oh, she better not have!_

"Did you fucking touch my ears?!" I shoot to my feet and loom over her, expecting to smell fear.

I don't. She blushes in embarrassment, instead. "Y-yeah I did. I'm sorry, I was just so excited to finally get to touch your ears, and because I know you don't like your ears being touched and that I'd probably never get the chance to touch them again, I touched them at a moment that you wouldn't care," She continues to ramble as her blush increases under my faltering glare. "I mean, they're just so cute and I really wanted to see if they were as soft as I imagined so I went ahead. Oh, and I touched your face, too. I'm sorry, I was trying to ease you awake, I was worried, cause you've been asleep for a long time and—"

My mind had stopped listening at 'cute'. I hold my hand up to cut her off. "Wait a minute, did you just call my ears _cute_?"

She giggles behind her hand. "Yes. Because they are. I told you I wouldn't lie to you."

I ignore the heat flooding my cheeks as I turn my back to her. "S-shut up! They aren't cute!"

Out of everything someone could say about me, _cute_ was not one that I imagined to hear.

I continue. "And you're right, I don't like them being touched, so don't!"

She sighs, and I turn my head slightly. She's still smiling, but her eyes show that she doesn't believe me. _Lemme guess, she knows about my ears, too._ I try my hardest to keep another wave of embarrassment from tinting my cheeks.

"Well…" She starts. I turn my attention to her again, my embarrassment forgotten. "I don't like my ears being touched, either. Actually, I don't really like being touched in general unless I'm really close to the person. It makes me panic, even if I'm expecting it." She says softly, almost a whisper.

I turn towards her fully. _I guess she really is trying to tell me more about herself…_

I sit down again, another question on my mind. "I have another question."

Her head pops up at that, and waits. I rest my chin on my hand, leaning forward. "How do you know all of these things?"

She mulls over her answer. "It's hard to explain in detail… Like, I know this world because—" She pauses, and glances her eyes up at mine. "First I'll explain the… World thing. I'm not from this world. I'm from an… Alternate universe."

"Okay." I nod. _I don't know what that is._ She could tell.

"It's another world just like this, except vastly different, and the residents are similar but not exact." _Okay, that makes more sense._ "The souls are the same, and sometimes they even look the same. In my case, from all that I've seen, I'm my world's version of Kikyo."

I nearly choke. "What do you mean you're Kikyo?!" I bark.

A troubled look mars her features. "I'm not Kikyo. I just share her soul, and likely, there are many other worlds that share my same soul but look different. As do you."

My frayed nerves calm at the explanation, but it still doesn't sit well with me. "Fine. Now answer my question, will ya?" I cross my arms and scowl.

Her bright mood returns. _Talk about mood swings._ "Well, the easiest way I can explain it is that I'm—" She hesitates, like she's going to regret her words. "I'm… Psychic. I'm able to see the past and future of this world. I've watched visions of you and the people of this place. I know about your family, about Kikyo, and about the future for us and our soon to be friends," She chuckles. "We are one odd group! An inu-hanyou, a miko, a kitsune, a taijiya and her nekomata, and a monk... Nearly all of them wronged by Naraku." She utters the last sentence with malice dripping from her words. She whispers to herself, "Hopefully I can prevent Sango from going through the worst of it."

 _I'm guessing I'll figure that out later_. "You're a miko?" She shrugs.

"I guess I am, considering I burned Mistress Centipede's face on my way here. She's probably pissed…" She scratches her head.

"Okay, for now, that's all the questions I have." I stand and start to walk away from the tree. "So, what's the plan? Just stroll into the village with a widely hated, murderous hanyou by your side? That sounds smart." Sarcasm is my strong suit.

"Oh, sure! I can tell them you're my _pet_ or some shit like that," _Apparently, it's hers, too_. I raise my eyebrows at her language. _A miko who curses is an amusing combination._ "Geez, what do ya take me for? I have this all planned out, just give me a chance to tell you, silly!"

"Fine," I grumble. _I don't like being called a fucking_ _ **pet**_ _._ "Get on with it then."

She walks up behind me, keeping a few feet between us. I turn and wait for her plan.

"First, we have to deal with Mistress Centipede. I don't want any villagers wounded or houses destroyed because of me. Luckily, she's pretty easy to beat. Second, I go down in the morning to talk to Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister, if you don't remember, to explain everything, and that you were not the cause of her demise. Third, I bring you down and we discuss a certain subject that you will probably find out very soon."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Do you not smell her anywhere?"

 _Oh, the youkai hag._ I sniff the air around us, and pick up her scent. "She's far, but she's coming in quick."

"Alright, well, whatever she yells at you, please just focus on killing her. She's probably drooling at the smell of my blood as we speak." She crosses her arms and cocks a hip, a scowl on her face.

"Wow, I didn't know you could look mad about something." I snicker.

She looks at me with mild surprise. "Well, of course I can, but I've been in a really good mood since I got here." _I spoke to soon._ "Anyway, she's going to be screaming some… Things that will catch your attention. I promise I'll explain but I'd rather not have you distracted during a fight, even if she's an easy kill."

I shrug. "Fine."

I pop my knuckles, preparing for a fight, and face towards where the hag is coming up.

"Come and get me, bitch."

* * *

 **Moriko**

He's smirking, claws at the ready. I move to go behind him. _I'd rather not be in the line of fire._

His ears are twitching back and forth, towards me and forward and back again. Goosebumps litter my arms, both from the cold, and from the bad… What I'm guessing is an aura, brushing against my senses.

She clamors through the brush, shrieking. "Mortal! Where is it?! Where is the jewel?!"

He freezes at her words. _Please focus please focus please focus please focus!_

I breathe a sigh of relief as he darts toward her, claws extended. "Too bad, ya old hag! The only thing you're getting is my claws through your skull!"

I chuckle, despite the danger. _Now_ that's _the Inuyasha I've been expecting!_

"Get out of my way, _half-breed_!"

 _Oh shit._

He jumps, faster than she can react, and shoves his hand through her face and down. _He sliced her like cheese._ _I'm glad he won't kill me. Even if he knows about the jewel, I strongly doubt he would._

Her body splits in half, lifeless once again. He flicks the blood off his claws and turns to me. _Uh oh._

"H-hey, so, about that—," I don't get to finish. As I step forward, he lands in front of me in a flash of red and white, his hand wrapped around my throat. _Shit_.

"What was she saying about a _jewel_ , _Mo-ri-ko_?" He gives me a feral grin as he stresses the syllables of my name and tightens his grip. Not enough to choke me, but enough for me to get the idea.

"Inuyasha, I told you I would explain." My voice remains strong, and for some reason, I'm not scared. _Do I already trust him so much for him not to kill me?_

He growls. "I could kill you with a single swipe of my claws, you saw what I just did to that damned youkai. Now tell me what the fuck she was talking about!" He pulls me close to his face, trying to be intimidating. Again, fear doesn't cross my mind, and I actually find myself getting impatient.

"Inuyasha, I know you too well to think that you'd raise your claws against me. I know you're strong, but I have no fear of you. She's correct, I have the Shikon jewel. Now will you let me go so I can talk to you?" I don't hide the exasperation in my tone.

He doesn't let go. "Where is it?"

"Well, it _was_ in my side, and she tried to get it out of me by ripping me open. Thankfully, she missed just enough and didn't get it." I move my hand up to grab his wrist. His hand is pulling me down so I'm not as tall as him, and it's starting to hurt. And pain pisses me off. "Hand. Off. _Now._ "

"Why should I?" He smirks at my annoyance. _Boy, you are pushing some major boundaries right now._ He reaches down to slice the shirt apart, but it remains stuck to the wound. He starts to pull, and I flinch.

"Ow! Don't do that! Let me at least get it damp first!" I yelp.

He pins his ears back at my shriek.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, the pain just surprised me." I apologize softly. _His hand is at my throat and I'm the one apologizing, whoopty doo._

His eyes quickly glance back and forth between my face and my wound. He sighs and releases his hold on my neck. I smile. "Thanks."

He just glares. I shake my head to rid of the uneasiness his stare gives me. I reach into my pocket and pull out the jewel, keeping it fisted in my hand. "I can't give this to you, and I'm going to tell you why."

"Feh! Like you can keep it from me!" He goes to grab my hand as an idea strikes me. I dodge his grasp and drop the jewel into my cleavage. He turns to me and reels back as I look at him innocently, hands up. _Have fun finding it, Inu._ I can't help the smug grin that reaches my face at his annoyance. "Bitch." He mutters.

" _Now_ will you listen to me?" _I'm not dealing with your shit today just yet, pup._ I scrunch my nose. _He really would kill me if I called him that out loud._

He stuffs his hands in his sleeves and plops down on the ground in front of me. _Oh. He gave up. Damn, I'm good._

I attempt to sit down as well, but my side is having none of it, so I straighten myself up again. "Remember when I said that you become increasingly powerful in the near future? I wasn't joking about that, and you remain as a hanyou the entire time. No jewel needed. I know you want to become a full-blooded youkai, but I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, Inuyasha." I get down on my knee and roll back to sit. _Hurts like Hell, but I'd like to be eye level with him._ I cross my legs and focus on him again. Still pissed, but curious. _Good, he's listening_.

"You are able to become full youkai without the jewel, but only when your life is in extreme danger— and by extreme danger, I mean with you being near-dead, so don't get any stupid ideas!" I admonish him, waving my finger in his face. His ears perked when I mentioned his ability, but his shoulders sagged when I spoke of death. I continue. "Now, let me tell you what you are _like_ when you are full youkai, and I'll tell you now, it is _not_ pretty."

"I don't have time listening to you, just give me the damn jewel!" He doesn't reach for me, though. _Still doesn't know where it is._ _Good._

"Well, too bad, you're about to have some knowledge laid out for you, free of charge!" I snap back. "When you turn full youkai, you are animalistic, savage, and ravaged with bloodlust, whether they be human or youkai. You are powerful, _crazy_ powerful, but you act like a caged animal, and you attack blindly, with wild abandon, and with no care for your life or others, to just feel blood on your hands. Now, I will say, when you transform when your life is in danger, you can still speak a little bit, with a little bit of awareness and recognition of your friends, only killing those that you considered an enemy before you transformed. Each time you transform, you lose more and more of yourself, to the point that you completely lose your awareness, and bringing you back is difficult. When you kill in that form, you _enjoy_ it, and you _crave_ it." I pause and take a deep breath. He stares at me intently, but I can't read his expressions except for curiosity and awe.

"When you transform with the jewel, though," I pause again when his ears perk, and he leans forward, awaiting my words. "You become a mindless beast. Attacking anything and everything. Guilty men begging for their lives, innocent women holding their children as they scream, and you don't even enjoy it. You just _do_ it. For no reason," Slowly, his awe turns into guilt, guilt over actions he has yet to even commit. _He needs to understand._ "Because in this jewel, two types of souls reside. Purity and corruption. A miko and a horde of youkai. The corruption magnifies itself with your youki, and _they_ take over. Like… Onigumo. He was overpowered by the youkai he absorbed, and they control him to this day."

I reach forward and grab his hands. He tries to yank them back in surprise, but I hold fast. "I remember how you felt after you slaughtered a group of bandits begging for their lives. Albeit, I think they deserved it for their murderous crimes, but you didn't want to kill them, and you were _terrified_." My voice softens as I look down at his claws. "You were thrashing in the river, and the only thought going through your head was that you couldn't get the scent of their blood off your claws. When you left and sat down at the bank, shaking, you were terrified. Terrified that one day, you would completely lose yourself, and that you would slaughter the people you had grown to care for so much. That you would turn your claws on them. And Inuyasha…" I look up from my grip on his hands and eye him. He's still looking at my hands on his. I feel his pulse beating rapidly through his wrists. "Inuyasha." He slowly raises his eyes to meet mine. I whisper, as quietly as I can manage. "You did."

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

I don't want to believe her. I want to think that she's lying, that she's only trying to keep the jewel away from me because it's her _job_. But she's calm. Her eyes only show concern.

And that's what scares me most. And when I'm scared, I put on a show.

"Damn it, do y-you really think I care?!" My voice cracking gives away my panic at her words.

She continues to stare at me. "Yes. I think you do."

"Well, I don't! I don't care about what happens to you stupid humans, now let me go!" My heart beats faster as I pull at my hands, but at this I only bring her closer to me, and her grip tightens around my wrists as she pulls them towards her again.

"Was your _mother_ a stupid human, Inuyasha?" I freeze, anger bubbling up into my throat.

"Shut up."

"I don't think she was. I think she was a sweet woman, who loved her youkai husband, and who loved her hanyou son."

I growl and get in her face.

" _Shut up!_ "

She doesn't even flinch. I'm getting desperate. _Why am I panicking?_

"Am I a stupid human, Inuyasha? Are your future friends stupid, Inuyasha? Because from the looks of what you think, anyone who tries to get close to you is stupid." The sadness in her voice doesn't go unnoticed by me.

"Because they _are_! Who the fuck befriends a _hanyou_?! Don't you get it?! I can kill people, you said so yourself! And people are scared of me! _Disgusted_ by me! So, tell me, huh?! Tell me, who befriends a damned _hanyou_?!"

My breathing comes out harsh and ragged after my outburst. Too many thoughts crowding my mind. Too much information at once. I can't help the panicky and angry words flying out of my mouth. I know I'm taking my rage out on her, on this girl trying to help clear my name, trying to become my friend, warning me about a mistake I try to make more than once. And for what? Because she _cares_?

"I do."

I hold my breath. This strange girl from another world, holding my hands close to her, and not a single trace of fear in her eyes, is telling me she wants to be my friend— and from the looks of it, no strings attached. I lower my head, my bangs hiding my face.

"But… _Why_?" I whisper.

"Because you're worth more than you think." Confident words. No trace of sarcasm. And my shoulders sag as my heart slows, and my rage ebbs as I sigh.

She slowly releases my hands, her fingers lingering for a moment on my claws.

I try to say something, anything else, but the words running through my mind die in my throat. Moriko sighs. "And yet… These claws have also saved so many lives…" She whispers.

My head shoots up at that. "They have?"

She looks at me wide eyed, and then flashes a huge smile. "Of course! You've saved Kikyo more than once. You've saved Kaede and many of the villagers, too. You saved me just now, and you save thousands more in the future." She moves to set her hand on my shoulder, and I resist the urge to flinch away. "The things I just told you have yet to happen, and you can _stop_ them from happening. That's why I told you all of this. I need you to _understand_ just what you're risking when you say that you want to use this…" She reaches in between her breasts and pulls out the Shikon jewel. _So that's where she was hiding it… Smart._ "To become a full youkai. Even you just having a small _shard_ of this jewel makes you snap and lose control, much less the whole thing." She removes her hand from my shoulder and places the jewel into her pocket. For some reason, I don't reach for it.

"Listen, I'm sorry I mentioned your mother. I know she's a sensitive subject, but you were being stubborn. Usually, I'd be fine with that, but this topic is more serious than anything. Understand?"

I can't do anything but slowly nod. "I'm… I'm not angry anymore." I say softly.

I lean back away from her, still close, but not touching. We sit in silence for a while. Everything she's told me rounding itself in my head over and over again. _She has no reason to lie_. _She has no reason to trust me._ And yet, here she is, sitting near me, smiling sadly, but I can still feel an unending flow of joy radiating off of her.

I suddenly become aware of her current problem once again. Her wound. The bleeding had nearly stopped, but my actions from pulling at it earlier caused it to start again. Her entire side is soaked. _She's almost complete bait for any nearby youkai._

"Hey," I mutter.

"Hmm?"

"Does it hurt?" I ask, motioning towards her side.

"Oh, well, yeah, it's aching pretty bad, but I've had worse… Though blood-loss is still kinda worrying me. Earlier, I was terrified that I'd faint and become a nice meal for some wandering youkai!" She laughs. _She's had_ _ **worse**_ _?!_ Her giggling dies down. "I feel safe with you here, though."

My heart flutters. _Does she trust me that much?_ Her flattery is starting to get to me, and it's making me uneasy. _Does she even know what I am?_

 _Of course, she does, idiot, she talked about your parents and you yelled out all of your insecurities. She gets it._

I mentally groan. _My panic got the best of me_.

Her head moves, and I refocus on her face. She's looking up at the sky. "We still have awhile left." She looks at me pointedly. "What do ya wanna do? Got any more questions?"

"Uhhh," I rub my palm down my face. "Does…" _Well, damn, I really don't know what to ask._

"How about I ask a question?" She chirps.

"O-oh, uh, s-sure?" I stutter. _Please don't let it be anything horribly personal._

"I have to ask you again, but, do you trust me?" Her eyes shine as she leans forward, her hands fisted into her lap.

I ponder for a moment. I have yet to see anything but complete and utter honesty, joy, and patience pouring out of this girl. The most questionable moment I had was when she told me how she knew everything, and even that didn't feel all that wrong. Other than my panicked outburst, her words about me rang true. I grip my knees.

She hasn't lied.

And she's trusting me with her _life_.

That is more than anyone has ever done for me, even more so than _Kikyo_ has ever done, and Kikyo was the first person I ever felt close to after my mother's passing. Kikyo and I didn't even fully trust each other. Moriko was right about that. It hurt, and I wanted to argue, but she was right. I didn't question the fact that Kikyo had never used such words, even when she first met me. I didn't question why I smelled her blood, even though I was the last person to see her. I didn't question her scent being off when she called me a half-breed with a sneer, with a tone she never used.

And Moriko _knew_. What I didn't even try to deny she _knew,_ and she _told_ me. She said it _wasn't my fault._ I was already blaming myself when she told me about Onigumo. Blaming myself when she said we didn't trust each other. Blaming myself when I stole the jewel and didn't even try to wonder why I smelled her blood as I ran.

And yet, here she is. Smiling at me. Trusting me. Telling me it wasn't my fault.

Maybe it's because she knows everything. _Actually, that's probably exactly why._ But even so, it's hard for me to believe. She told me that I had turned on people I cared for. That I had tried to murder innocent, harmless people. And she's still smiling at me. I had my hand at her throat and she fucking _apologized_ for hurting my ears after I _caused her pain_.

I clear my throat and sigh. _I do._

"I trust you."

* * *

A/N: I'M DOIN IT YALL

IM WRITING

WHOOP

Next chapter next week, and our lovely, crude Inuyasha will return full force!

Hope you enjoyed!


	3. A Blooming Friendship & Shattered Skies

I have returned with another chapter! Inuyasha is as crude as ever!

Disclaimer: I would be _rich_ if I had written this story, but alas, Rumiko is the rich genius.

* * *

Chapter 3: A Blooming Friendship and Shattered Skies

 **Moriko**

Dawn slowly approaches as we finish another conversation. We moved ourselves to the edge of the forest, up the hill from the rice paddies. We went back and forth throughout the night with small talk, and I explained the who, when, and where about the people we would soon be meeting. I also explained who our next enemy will be, the crow youkai, and how I would need him to help me with it. So far, things are going… Perfectly.

"And then we'll have to fight Yura a few days from now. Hopefully we can deal with her easily before she gains control of any of the villagers." I glance at the rising sun and turn back to my new friend. His face is towards the sun as well, but at my sudden movement, his amber eyes look towards me. "And dawn is here."

"Yeah, it is." He mutters quietly. He stands, stretches, and wordlessly reaches his hand towards me. I blush at his offered hand, a quiet 'thank you' leaves my lips as I reach for it. He pulls me up effortlessly. "So, I'll wait here till you get back. And don't drag yourself, I'd like to get this done and over with before someone notices me and runs screaming." He jumps into a tree behind me, and despite his bright colors, I can't see him through the branches. _His attitude is oddly endearing._

"Sure thing! I'll be quick, and I'll ask if she can prepare some food as well. I'm guessing you're hungry, too?" I question to nothing in particular, knowing he can hear every word. I get a grunt in response, and with that, I turn towards the torii gate in the distance.

The hut resting beside the shrine steps sits quietly. I ease my way down the hill and onto the path through the soon-to-be-rice-filled waterways. Rice planting season is only just starting. The village men have already started to exit their huts and make their way to the paddies. They instantly take notice of me, first to my lack of clothing, and then to the bloody rags dried to my side. "Miss! Miss!" One man drops his tool and practically sprints towards me. "Are you alright? You're wounded!"

"Oh, sir, it's fine, I—"

"Ichiro! Tell Kaede-sama! This girl needs to be attended to!" He grasps my arm and quickly walks arm in arm with me. _That's… Actually really sweet of this man._

I smile at him. "Thank you. What is your name?"

He grins sheepishly. "Oh, me? My name is Yamato. And yours?"

"Moriko. I appreciate your concern, Yamato."

The young man blushes instantly. He can't be more than 22 years. "Oh, please, the pleasure is all mine, Miss." He glances down to avoid my eyes and his face darkens even more so. _Breasts, Moriko. Your breasts are extremely obvious right now._

He snaps his head away, completely red-faced. "W-w-well, h-here we are m-miss Moriko." He stutters and quickly drops my arm. "Kaede-sama will see to your wounds." Ending with a quick bow, he spins and briskly speed-walks away.

I giggle softly to myself as I open the reed-bound door of the small hut. "Kaede-sama?"

The elderly woman turns to me as I enter, a washcloth in her hand as she places a pot of water over the fire. Herbs and medical supplies are already out and ready, along with a futon lying on the ground near the fire pit. She gasps at my wound. "Oh my! Please, come lie down and let me tend to your injuries." She motions for me to lie down onto the futon.

I smile warmly. "Kaede, I must do one thing before you tend to my wounds, if you don't mind."

Her patchless eye widens. "My child, what on Earth would have you _wait_?"

"Something far more important." I whisper. I slip off my tennis shoes at the wooden genkan. _Can't go dirtying the poor woman's home._ I walk over to her and attempt to kneel. _That's still not working._ I flinch, then straighten myself again. _I don't need to get comfortable just yet, anyways._

"Kaede, I must tell you some very important news, and I will tell you more once I return. But first, would you happen to have any food to prepare for me and my friend?" I ask her gently.

"Your friend? You're not alone? They can enter here, as well, child. And of course, I'll make some rice and tea." She stands and walks over to the small cupboard on the side of the hut. "Now, tell me as I prepare this what news I must hear."

I take a deep breath. "Whatever you do, do not panic at my words." She nods and continues her prepping, only just barely listening. "I freed Inuyasha from Goshinboku. He is the friend I speak of." She stands frozen, a bag of rice in her hands. "I know you think he killed Kikyo, but I know the truth. He is innocent. I explained everything to him throughout the night. Also," I reach into my pocket and pull out the jewel. "This wound is from Mistress Centipede, who dragged me here from another world. Inuyasha has already dealt with her and disposed of her remains back into the well. She was after this."

She slowly turns and clutches the bag tightly. "Who are you? Why… Why do you have the Shikon no tama? My sister… My sister—"

"Had it burned with her body." I finish quietly.

"Yes." Her grip loosens. I place it back into my pocket and walk over to her.

I place a hand gently onto her shoulder to steady her slight trembling. "I'll explain everything to you as you patch me up. But I must first ask if you will allow Inuyasha into your home. I promise that he is no danger to you or anyone in the village."

"Yes, he may." She responds hoarsely.

I nod. "Thank you. I'll be right back with him, and I can tell you everything I told him." I turn to leave and stop as a thought crosses my mind. "Oh! Kaede, would you happen to still have Kikyo's beads of subjugation? The rosary?"

Surprise replaces any trace of confusion left on her face. "I do, indeed. For Inuyasha?"

I nod again. "I won't be using it hardly at all, for I see no need to physically punish him. It is merely for his safety in the near future. I'll let you know when to use it." Ending our conversation there, I turn again, walking to the edge of the raised wooden floor, stepping down towards the dirt and into my tennis shoes. I shift the woven reeds that make the hut's door and take the short path directly to the forest from Kaede's.

As I reach the edge of the forest, I wait. Nothing. _What's he up to?_ A single leaf falls from a tree to my right. _He's trying to scare me, isn't he?_

"Inuyasha." I call at my normal volume. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." I have trouble containing the mirth in my voice.

Silence. No dash of red or silver. I roll my eyes. "Alright, then, I guess I'll just have to turn around and wait, now won't I?" I can't keep the grin off my face.

 _Bingo._

As soon as I turn, I feel him somewhere directly behind me, staring. I don't look. I have a flashback to Tiauna's weekly attempts to scare me. _Try me_.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

I watch her from a tree to her left silently. _She knows exactly what I'm up to, the wench._ I heard the laughter behind her words when she turned.

She doesn't move when I dart to another tree directly behind her. I don't make a sound. I float softly down to the grass and slowly creep up behind her.

I stop directly behind her and dart towards her to surprise her. And I _miss_.

She steps to the side just as my arms reach where she would have been. "Yo." No surprise in her voice, either. I lose my balance, not expecting air, nor expecting her to dodge. I fall forward and roll to catch myself. I turn to her with a look of annoyance.

"How'd you know?" _Damn, that came out whinier than intended._

She starts giggling. "I've had practice with people trying to sneak up on me. While I admit you're better than everyone else, I can still dodge just in time."

I can't help but give her a smug look. "I'm the best?"

She laughs louder this time. "Yes, you're the best." She walks past me and motions for me to follow.

"Did she say it was okay?" I ask, a hint of worry in my voice.

"Yup. She was definitely surprised, and no doubt she still is, but I told her that you and I can explain everything as she patches me up. She seems to believe me, at least."

"Well, that's good." I can't help but feel relieved. Being blamed for the murder of the first woman I ever loved didn't have me feeling very welcome.

"Hey, I have a question." She looks at me as we walk side by side toward a small hut next to a torii gate. _I'm assuming that's the place_. The smell of herbs and steam emits from the windows of the building. _The village has changed a lot since I saw it last._

"Go for it." I reply, my right ear swiveling towards her unconsciously.

"How come you don't seem to have any reaction to my lack of clothes? All of the men were practically gawking. I felt slightly mortified, but my wound soon grabbed their attention, thankfully."

"Oh, please," I groan. "I've seen way too many youkai women either topless or scantily dressed while _fighting_. At this point, I don't really care anymore. They're just something that's _there_."

She chuckles lightly. "I can only imagine! Mistress Centipede is one of those youkai women, I suppose?" She nudges my arm playfully.

"Oh, definitely. And did I seem distracted to you?" I inquire. She shakes her head no at first, and then nods. "Wait, what? I wasn't distracted!"

"You weren't distracted by _her_ , but more so by the fact that the wounded mortal girl behind you had the Shikon jewel." She smirks.

 _Well, I'll be damned._

I can't help but roll my eyes in mock annoyance. "Okay, but I got the job done!"

She rolls her eyes back at me. "Okay, _fine_. You did your job well _despite_ the fact that you were distracted. Happy?"

 _ **Well**_ _? Really? I did it in mere seconds!_ I turn my head to the side and cross my arms. "Keh, ungrateful wench." I huff.

Her reply is a quiet snicker. I ignore it. "Didn't you say Yura hardly wears any clothes, too?"

"Very much so. Her dress literally ends at her _hips_ , and her top is majorly low cut. I can't say I can judge, but I'd rather not get flashed by some hair youkai!" She scrunches her nose in mock disgust. A rush of air escapes my nose to replace a laugh. _Me neither._

We school our features as we enter the small hut. Rice is cooking over the fire, three cups of hot tea set beside it, and a futon is laid out, a white rag and a bowl of steaming water lying next to it.

"Well, I'll be damned, you weren't kidding when you said _fifty years_." I can't help but utter in disbelief. _**That's**_ _the brat? I guess it is, the eyepatch is a dead giveaway._

"It is nice to see you, too, Inuyasha." Kaede doesn't hide her sarcasm. I cross my arms and scoff.

"Well, _excuse_ me, but last time I saw you, which feels like yesterday, mind you, you were a small brat that cried all the time and followed Kikyo around like a shadow. It's freaky to see you all old and withered. Surprised you ain't just—" Moriko elbows me hard in the ribs. "Ow! Watch it, bitch!"

She shoots me a glare that makes me flinch in fear. _If looks could kill…_ "Kaede is welcoming you into her home after fifty years of believing you were the one who murdered her beloved sister, the _least_ you can do is thank her instead of insulting her, my friend." Her words are said calmly, but I can hear the 'You better watch your mouth' in her undertone.

I can't help the sheepish blush forming on my cheeks from her reprimand. _And she still added 'friend' to the end of it. I swear, she's just the oddest girl._

"Fine," I mumble dejectedly. I close my eyes and turn to Kaede, trying not to say anything crude. _That's a lot harder than it looks, woman._ "So, u-uh, t-thank you for letting me in, even after… All that… And such… You know." I peek one eye open at Moriko. Thankfully, she's no longer glaring, but I'm assuming her upturned brows and small smile are meant to be encouragement. _Not helping._

"You're welcome, Inuyasha. Now, will your friend here come lie down so I can tend to her side?" She pats the futon, sitting between it and the firepit.

I shrug and turn to Moriko. "She's right you know; the bleeding stops for a while but any time you move too much it reopens."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. Pretty sure she took a small chunk with her." She shudders. "She had a lot of blood in her mouth."

She slips off her strange shoes and walks over to Kaede. I only just notice her colored socks. _Who colors their socks, much less_ different _colors_? I go to follow her and sit in front of the firepit.

Kaede motions for her to lie down. "Lay on your side, child, and I'll get to work," Moriko obeys and lies on her left side. "If what Inuyasha says is true, you may need to be stitched."

I go to retort that I _am_ telling the truth, but Moriko's look of terror, a look I have yet to see, has me refocusing my attention. "Uh, Moriko? What's wrong?"

"S-s-stitched?" Her voice comes out in a high-pitched squeak. "As in, s-sewn?"

Kaede glances at her, eyebrows raised. "Why, yes, of course. I have herbs that will lessen the pain, though it will still hurt. Is that a problem?"

Moriko starts to tremble, and I can't really help but feel slightly worried. _She dealt with the pain just fine earlier, what's her problem?_

"D-d-do you," She audibly gulps. "Use a needle?" She sucks in a breath and holds it.

"Yes… That is how one sews…" Kaede whispers in confusion.

Moriko's eyes snap shut and forces all of the air out of her lungs. "Oh noooooo!" She whines as she drops her head down on the futon, her hands covering her face. I almost pity her.

"Moriko, what's the big deal? You're scared of gettin' stitched but not when I threaten to kill you? Did you hit your head when she dragged you here or somethin'?"

She shakes her head rapidly and suddenly the scent of salty tears hits my nose. _Oh, damn it, wench, don't cry._ _I can't stand it when women cry._

"I'm scared of needles…" She whispers.

I can't help but snort at the confession. " _Needles_? You're scared of _needles_?"

She drops her hands from her face. "Don't laugh! I know it's a stupid fear, but I've always been terrified of them! I can't even imagine them or else I just—!" She shivers and covers her face again. Her voice comes out muffled. "Just get it over with before I change my mind!"

Kaede looks troubled. "Child, I will do so as quickly as possible, but you need to stop shaking."

Her trembling doesn't cease. Kaede sighs and looks over to me. "Moriko you said her name was? Will you distract her for me?"

I gawk. "Me?! What am I supposed to do?!"

She huffs. "Engage her in conversation! Maybe even ask questions that will tell me about yourselves and what I need to know, or even things that you don't know yet. Just grab her attention." She turns away from me and grabs the rag, dipping it in the water. She moves over to Moriko and gently places it on her side, soaking the clinging cloth and washing away the dried blood.

I roll my eyes and stand to walk over to the petrified girl. I sit at the end of the futon near her head. "Yo, Moriko. I have a new question."

I get a 'mhm' in response. _Stupid_.

"Since you know about mine, I might as well learn about yours. Got any family in your world?"

She uncovers her face and cranes her neck up towards me. Her eyes are red and puffy, but her look of terror is gone. "I do." She whispers.

I scoff. "Well, tell me about 'em! Siblings? Parents? Get on with it!" I cross my arms and lean forward, zeroing in on her face. "I ain't gettin' any younger here!"

She giggles lightly. "Well, you're definitely not _looking_ any _older_ , silly!"

I give her a fanged grin. "Youkai heritage has its perks, wench."

She chuckles softly at that. "Yeah, it does." She pauses and taps her chin for a moment. Being near Kaede's herbal paste nearly has me gagging, so I grab the resting tea and hold it close to my nose. _I don't even like tea, but the smell is better than the paste._ "Well, I have my mom. My mom wasn't married when she had me, and she was just my age. She raised me alone when I was a kid until she got married to my dad. I have two half-sisters, one ten years younger than me, and the other twelve years. I technically have a birth father, as well, but he wasn't my dad." Her face darkens, her tone filled with hatred. "And he _never_ will be."

That catches me off guard. "You said your mom was alone? Did he not help raise you? Did he die?" My mouth gushes out with multiple questions with curiosity, for her raising sounds so similar to my own.

Her eyes widen at my outburst, but her tone remains angry. "Yes, my mom raised me with just a little help from family and friends. He didn't help Mom in any way, and he only made our lives worse the one year she tried." A scowl quickly forms on her face. _This is the angriest I've seen her… I don't think it's because of me, though._ "Sometimes I _wish_ he was dead." She mumbles, barely loud enough for even my ears to catch.

"Oh," I can't help but choke out. "W-well, we'll change the subject then."

A grateful smile appears as she looks up at me. "That'd be nice."

"Uuh, I noticed you had a few other scents on you. Animal scents. What are they from?" _I know I smelled cat, that's for sure. But when we were sitting, her lower legs smelled like dog._

She flashes a toothy smile, her already narrow eyes almost shut from her risen cheeks. "My pets! I have two small dogs and two young cats. I love them so much!" Her smile doesn't waver. "I think you would really like my kitten. He's super playful, but also really cuddly. My other cat on the other hand… Well, she'd probably be terrified of you. She's not a fan of men. But who knows! Maybe you'll grow on her."

I cock an eyebrow. "Why would I like a playful kitten?"

She giggles. _Does she ever stop giggling?!_ "You like to mess with cats and play with them, often to the point that they get annoyed and scratch you. You have trouble getting the message. Dexter, though, he likes to chase and attack practically anything. I feel like you'd find it amusing."

I nod, though I have no idea if it's true, but considering everything she knows about me, I can't really help but think she's right. I glance over at her wound. The disturbance from the rag and the water caused it to reopen and seep fresh blood. _She was smart to wrap her top so tight._ _I'm surprised she's been on her feet this long._ The bite isn't the worst injury I've seen, but it definitely isn't a minor one. _That's gonna leave a scar_. I probably would have that healed within a couple of hours, and with no scar. Most of her skin is still connected to her body, but the youkai hag must've sliced deep instead of tearing. _Luckily only skin deep._ A scab is already forming around the minor fang marks, but the large slices, probably from her paired fangs at the very front of her mouth, still look fresh.

Kaede's hand catches my eye, holding a needle and thread. Her other hand gently spreads the paste over the wound and around her entire side. From the smell, and my memory from one of Kikyo's lessons to Kaede, it's for numbing and preventing infection. _Well, at least she's good at doing her job._ Kaede starts to reach down to enter the needle into one of Moriko's larger cuts when I suddenly remember that I'm supposed to be distracting said girl. "So, uh, Moriko! What are some things you like to do in your world?"

She's caught off guard. "Oh! Well, I really love to read. I also really enjoy singing and dancing. I love to draw, too, and write. In my world, we also have games that you can play on a…" She mumbles to herself, "How do I explain a TV? Eh, oh, well." She speaks up again. "On a magic box that you can watch things happen on. You can control fake people in them and enjoy a story while doing so. It makes you apart of the story."

"Wow." _That actually sounds really amazing._ "You mean you can experience a story from someone else's point of view?"

"Well, sometimes. Most times, though, you make the person yourself. You can choose whether to make good or bad decisions, to say kind or rude words, and what kind of fighter you'll be." She smiles at me. "I usually go with a magical forest-based warrior, who wields a bow and fights from the shadows." She furrows her brows in a thoughtful manner. "I think you'd prefer a warrior that fights up front with a great-sword or battle-axe, something large, who is possibly a rage or strength-based fighter."

Kaede is already more than halfway done patching her up. Moriko's eyes are still on me, smiling still, waiting for me to say something on her assessment of what my warrior would be like. I set the now cool tea down. _Well, she ain't_ wrong.

"What exactly is a great-sword?" I ask.

"A giant sword." _Well, that was disappointing._

"Tch, I think that's the most accurate thing you've said about me today, wench." I smirk.

She shrugs, or at least, tries to. "I mean, I know you quite well. Hopefully one day you'll be able to know me just as much." She closes her eyes and lays her head back down onto the futon, thankfully missing my flustered look.

"W-well, hurry up and heal, then. Aren't we expecting a crow youkai soon?" _Keep calm, idiot. She's not even looking at you._

She hums in reply with a small smile. "Either this afternoon or tomorrow. Not sure." She peeks her right eye open and closes it again. "And yeah, I'll try and heal quick."

 _Why does my face feel warm?_

"You said there's magic. Can weapons have magic? A sword would be boring for just slicing."

She smiles wider. "I agree with that. Yes, both weapons and armor can have enchantments in the majority of these games. They make you more powerful, and the more powerful you get, the more powerful the enemies." Both of her eyes open this time. "Kinda like in real life."

"Cool." I mutter. "So… Uh… Ugh! I don't know what else to talk about."

"We can—" A yawn interrupts her, and she keeps her eyes closed this time as she continues. "We can tell Kaede about the most of what I told you. Mainly just about the past and these next few days."

I lean towards her face and speak quietly. "Are you tired?"

Another hum.

"Weren't you hungry?"

"Food can wait." She mumbles.

I look towards Kaede and nod my head towards the sleeping girl. She smiles and whispers, "She can rest for now. She's had enough adventure for one night."

I nod and look over at the cooling rice.

Kaede clears her throat and I glance at her. She motions toward the sitting pot after pulling a blanket over Moriko. "Go ahead and make a bowl. I'll go get you some chopsticks."

 _She doesn't need to tell me twice!_

I dart towards the pot and make a bowl. Kaede ambles her way back, handing me the chopsticks, and goes to kneel across the pit from me, Moriko asleep behind me. I shovel the rice into my mouth within seconds.

"My my, you were hungry, weren't you?" She chuckles. "You've always had quite the appetite, I suppose."

"Well, it _has_ been fifty years, ya know," I joke. "Besides, she woke me up in the middle of the night, then I fought a youkai, and _then_ we talked till dawn. It's been a long night."

"It is _fine_ , Inuyasha. And please, if you want more, go right ahead… Although, I would think Moriko would appreciate some left over for her when she awakes." Kaede glances at Moriko, and I follow her gaze over my shoulder. "She's likely fatigued from the loss of blood. Thankfully, she slowed it nearly to a stop. She's a smart girl."

"I guess," I mumble. "She hid the jewel from me in a split second by stuffing it in her chest when I tried to take it. That ugly centipede practically screamed about her having it. I was really annoyed when she hid it, and I threatened to kill her, but she didn't even flinch! She finally convinced me to sit down and listen to her." My eyes turn back to the fire as her words return to me. "She told me things… Things from the future. Things I would've done if I had kept wanting to use the jewel to become a full youkai."

I sigh, my ears laying back as an odd sense of shame washes over me. "She said that I made friends. Close friends. She told me that I could turn into a full youkai if my life was in danger, and that I was a savage, but I still had emotions, and I could speak. I still had a sense of who my friends were, too, but with the jewel…" I look up at her. She's staring at me intently, concern evident on her aged face. I look away as I realize that this is a lot more than I've previously ever shared with her, or _anybody_ for that matter. _Get used to it, idiot._ "She told me later that night that I didn't even want the jewel anymore, and that it was forced upon me… But either way, with the jewel's power over me, I hurt my friends. And I hurt innocent people. She said I didn't even enjoy it, either, that I was emotionless, and that I just obeyed."

I sit in silence. I feel Kaede's eyes on me still. It irks me, and I snap. "Are ya just gonna gawk or are you gonna say somethin'?!"

"Shush, Inuyasha!" She whispers sternly. I suddenly remember the sleeping girl behind me and flinch. Kaede continues, "I don't mean to stare, but I still do not understand how she knows these things. You skipped some information, I presume?"

I flush in embarrassment. _Nice going, asshole. Quit being so nervous, damn it!_

"Y-yeah, that was more towards the end of the conversation…" I mutter, keeping my voice low. "She's from this other world, and she shares the same soul as Kikyo does or somethin'. She's another version of Kikyo, basically, and the jewel decided to cross over to her world. Mistress Centipede dragged her here through the old well near the tree I was stuck to. She said that she was a… Sye… Kick? Something like that. From what she said, I'm guessing it's a seer of sorts. She was able to see a little bit of everything from this world, past and future. So, when she got here, she wanted to prevent the bad things from happening. She told me this morning that things happened way differently in her visions…"

"I see. That's quite a power she's got there." Kaede glances over my shoulder again.

"Well, honestly, I'm not sure if she was telling the truth. Everything else she said seemed so honest, and it looked a _little_ like the truth when she said that, but she had a panicked look on her face… Like she was afraid of saying something, or thought of something that scared her. I honestly don't know what was going through her head, but after her being honest about everything else… Well, I just kinda have to trust her, don't I?" I softly smile. "She's strange, that's for sure. She trusted me with her life even as my claws were close to piercing her throat. She had no fear of me. No disgust. And she…" I blush heatedly, remembering her few words that filled me with so many different emotions at once, pushing away the betrayal and anger from before. "She said I was _worth_ something. That I was worth more than I thought."

I look back up at Kaede, a warm smile gracing her features. I blush harder as she chuckles to herself. "You're seeming a little feverish, Inuyasha. I didn't know a hanyou could get sick."

I softly growl, aware of Moriko's deep breathing. "I'm not feverish! And I don't get sick!" I stuff my arms in my sleeves and turn my body towards Moriko instead, grumbling, "Stupid, old woman. She just _had_ to point it out."

Kaede continues to laugh behind me. "Inuyasha, there's no need for embarrassment. Who _doesn't_ want to feel worthy of something?"

I stop growling at that and look down at Moriko in awe. _She's right, though… I've never really felt worthy of anything before, and I still don't… Yet, she tells me I am._

 _I may trust her, but even I find that hard to believe._

* * *

 **Moriko**

I slowly start to awake, my side painfully aching. I had a dreamless sleep, but the whole time, I felt a sense of _calm_ instead of an emotionless void. _I'm pretty sure that's the best sleep I've had in my whole life, and I wasn't even dreaming._

The pain in my side reminds me that Kaede had stitched up the bite. _Oh, yeah. I'm in this world._ I pry my eyes open and blink, a shadow cast over my face. Of everything I expected to see, I was _not_ expecting a pair of golden eyes to be staring at me. _Did he watch me the whole time I slept?.._

"Yo, you're awake," His voice stays low. "Hungry? Kaede left some rice for you. I kept the fire going so you could warm it up."

I smile. _Awe, that's so sweet! I wonder if he even realizes how kind of a gesture that was._ "Thank you, that's really sweet of you." I reply in an equally low voice.

His face flushes and he quickly spins around. "W-well, hurry up and eat something if you're hungry! I was about to eat it all myself cause you slept through half the day!"

I roll my eyes and go to sit up, but the pain in my side flares out, making me gasp in pain. He whirls around and hovers near me. "Moriko? What's wrong?! Do I need to get Kaede?" _Awe, he's worried! Man, I'm way too used to the crude personality he had in the story._

I grin painfully. "No, no, it's fine! I just wasn't expecting it to hurt like that. It was sharper than the ache I felt before…"

He relaxes only slightly. "Well, no duh! If your skin pulls too much the stitches will stretch!" He pulls the blanket off me and inspects my side, sniffing. I crane my neck to see just how bad it is. Very red, but not bleeding. "Well, you're not bleeding anymore, at least. Be more careful, idiot."

A small throaty growl leaves my throat and he looks at me in smuggled laughter. "It's either pain, or hunger— and I'm _hungry_ , damn it!" ' _You're not you when you're hungry.' Truest statement of the century._

My angry reply quickly quells any of his previous mirth. "Well, at least just sit up! Roll onto your back and use your arms. I'll make you a bowl." He scowls and turns away, grumbling about 'humans' and their 'weak bodies', and I catch a trace of 'wenches' and 'stomachs', but I lose the rest. I sigh and attempt his recommendation. I roll onto my back and tense for a moment from the pain. My stomach growls. _Hunger, Moriko! Fight the pain!_

I put my weight onto my elbows and push myself up. Slowly, sorely, I finally reach a sitting position, no longer using my arms. Inuyasha's foot taps impatiently as the rice warms. _Patience is a virtue, Inu._ I laugh inwardly, then I frown. _I should apologize for snapping at him… He_ was _only worried._

"Inuyasha?" I ask timidly. His ears flick back towards me, but he doesn't turn.

"What is it, wench?"

 _I get the feeling I'm going to have to get used to his crude pet names._ "I'm sorry for snapping at you. That wasn't kind of me, especially considering you were just trying to help. Thank you."

His foot stopped tapping as I spoke, and his shoulders tensed more with every word. His ears tweak back and forth.

He finally breaks the silence. "Tch! It's no big deal, stupid. I know you humans don't have youkai healing like I do, so I have a habit of assuming the worst." He bends down and grabs the now warm bowl of rice and a pair of resting chopsticks. He turns, still in his crouched position, and holds the bowl and utensils out to me. "Here."

I can't help but smile. _I'm glad I became his friend so quickly. I was not looking forward to any unkempt hatred towards me at the beginning like he did to Kagome._

I flinch at the thought, and he notices. "What, did you not want me to touch it? What'd I do?!" He tries to sound angry but only ends up with a tone of hurt.

"Oh, no! I don't mind you touching it, silly!" I quickly cater to his worry, and the tension leaves him. "I was just worrying about… My family, back at home. They're probably wondering why I'm not there, ya know." I shrug, and grab the items from his hands before he can question me again. He raises an eyebrow at my timid answer.

 _If he knew… If any of them knew about Kagome… What would I say? 'Hey, I'm not the person that's supposed to be here, yet here I am. Your lives are a work of fiction that we read and watch for entertainment!' Pfft, yeah right._

I shovel the rice into my mouth within half a minute. _Oh, that's so much better._

I look back up at him and he's staring at me, wide eyed and mouth slightly agape. "Uhh, Inuyasha? Is something wrong?"

"Y-you eat as fast as I do!" He yells, disbelief evident in his voice.

"So? What of it?" I mutter, blushing under his awed gaze. He springs to a stance and throws his arms up in a triumphant manner.

"I'm not the only one!" He gushes. From the strange look of pride on his face, I can't help but giggle. And then I start laughing. He looks down at me with a confused expression. "What?! No one else ever does it! They always make a comment or give me weird looks!"

I fall back and start laughing harder despite the pain. "Y-you're right, though!" My cackling ebbs only a little before I can breathe and continue. "My mom always gets onto me for eating too quickly! I can't help it, food just tastes so good! — _especially_ when I'm hungry!"

My laughing comes to a slow stop and I look up at him, a smile cracking at the edge of his lips. "And do you listen?"

I snort my reply. " _No_! I look her dead in the eye and eat even _faster_!"

For the first time, he doesn't hold back, and a short, quick laugh escapes from his mouth. "Does it piss her off?" His grin shows his fangs fully as he leans over me, his hair falling over his shoulders.

"You bet your ass it does!" I snicker. "Sometimes my dad and I even have _contests_." I put my hand up to the side of my mouth in a mock whisper and lean up towards him. "And I _always_ win!"

He's lightly chuckling now, and it warms my heart. Not loud enough for sound, but his closed eyes, quick breaths, and barely shaking shoulders tell me all I need to know.

I lie my head back down and glance at the silver strands hanging a little over a foot above me. _I wanna touch them._

I slowly reach my hand up towards the lock closest to me. I touch it softly and twirl my fingers around it. "So soft…" I whisper to myself.

Or so I thought.

A pair of cute ears heard my soft words and the strands are pulled from my grasp as he jolts away from me.

"Wha-what are you doing?!" He stammers, his face flushed red.

 _He blushes more than I thought he would._ Honestly, though, the heat in my cheeks tells me I'm just as flushed.

"Sorry! I just," I flinch as I sit up, but I keep going, "It was right there, and it looked really soft and I really wanted to touch it…" My voice quieted until I ended in barely a whisper.

I look away sheepishly and I start to run my fingers through my hair. I'm met with multiple knots in my waist length waves, but I keep going.

I have a lot of quirks. This is one of them.

He still hasn't said a word since my apology, and I'm afraid to look at him out of pure embarrassment. _Why'd I have to go and ruin a nice moment, damn it!_

"Hey."

I turn at his soft sigh.

His blush has gone down, now only lightly dusting his cheeks. "If, uh… If you _ask_ next time or somethin', I…" He pauses to swallow, avoiding eye contact at all costs as he scratches his ears. "I _might_ let you. It just… Ya know… Makes me uneasy when I'm not expecting it." He looks at my face now, his blush gone. "I'm not mad or nothin'. You just need to stop surprising me, wench."

I'm awed by his gently spoken words. I offer a small smile. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I then give him a smug grin. "Also, what was that about me surprising you? I thought you could sense _everything_."

He rears back at my words and stomps a foot. "Oi! Not when I'm comfortable, I can't! Why do you think I sleep sitting up or in trees all the damn time?"

I raise my eyebrows at his statement. We had talked about random things throughout the night, and some bits and pieces of his own habits was one of them, and I even told him some that he wasn't entirely aware of. I was _not_ expecting him to say that he was _comfortable_ around me.

"Were you comfortable just now?" I ask in a whisper.

His scowl disappears instantly, and he whirls away from me and moves to walk to the other side of the hut. "K-keh! What are you, deaf? I just said that, didn't I?" His arms are crossed, and his ears are laid back. _He probably doesn't want to get to sharing stuff so openly just yet._

 _No duh, idiot. You met him just this morning._

He plops down on the wall and keeps his face turned away from me, but his ears are now intensely pointed in my direction.

"I'm glad." I whisper again. He heard me, of course.

"Tch. You're glad about everything, wench." He scoffs.

I giggle at the truth in his words. "I guess you're right about that!"

He doesn't answer, but I see the corners of his mouth lift just a tiny bit.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

As the pit's embers die out, I walk out of the hut and jump into a nearby tree. Dusk has only just passed, and the villagers have all taken their leave to eat their suppers and rest for the night. Kaede made beef stew for us, and with the combination of both mine and Moriko's appetites, there are no leftovers.

While eating, I looked pointedly at Kaede as Moriko and I downed our food within minutes.

 _She can't say anything about it now._ I smirk to myself as I lean against the trunk of the tree, the branch poised right over the old woman's hut. I know she wasn't meaning it to be an insult, but I wanted to make a point that I didn't like her comment without being direct.

My ears catch Moriko's voice inside, telling Kaede she doesn't mind sleeping without a futon. I picture Kaede waving her off and showing her the multiple futons in the 'little' trunk at the back of the room. _That girl's an idiot, I swear. What wounded person tries to sleep on a hard floor during these cold nights?_

I was really surprised that she wasn't even shivering the night before. She had goosebumps painfully obvious on her arms and legs, but she didn't react _or_ complain. _I'll have to ask her about that later._

The crow youkai didn't attack today, so Moriko is sure that it will be sometime tomorrow.

I go over her plan in my mind again. Even now, it still confuses me. She told me to _let_ the crow swallow the jewel. Crow youkai are weak, but they're still dangerous to humans, so we have to make sure to be careful. Then, after the crow swallows the jewel, I'm supposed to bring her one of its feet. When I asked her what the foot was for, she refused to tell me, only saying that 'I'll explain _after_ everything is said and done'.

I knew she wasn't lying, but she definitely was keeping something big from me, and considering I had already decided to trust her, it made me uneasy.

At my worried look, she had reassured me that if she told me what was going to happen that things would probably go wrong if I knew too much. She said she'd tell me important things, or "major happenings", to prevent them, but things that were meant to happen she would not always tell me.

" _I can't lay your whole life out for you, ya know!"_

She was grinning when she said it, and it made me relax, cause I knew she had a point.

A bit of time has passed since everyone fell asleep. Kaede's snoring masks any sign of Moriko's deep breathing, and I get the urge to check on her.

I jump to a lower branch near the window and peek inside.

She's not asleep.

Her eyes are closed, but the rise and fall of her chest are not slow, nor deep. She yawns and opens her eyes. Because of how dark it is, especially inside the hut, I didn't think she'd see me looking in.

I was wrong.

Her eyes widen, and she moves to sit up. _Well, no point sneaking around now_. I hop off the branch and go around to the front of the hut. She slips past the doorway quietly and gives me a small wave of her hand. "Let's go by that tree that overlooks the paddies." She whispers. I nod, and she goes to lead the way. Part of me worries over her moving with her side and all, but she doesn't seem to be hurting as badly anymore, so I say nothing.

Kaede gave her miko garments to wear, thankfully, so I know she won't be as cold. _I'm pretty sure her 'indecent' clothing was starting to annoy the old woman._

A few village men came by to check on the "strange girl", and all of them became red-faced every time they looked at her bared collarbone and belly. One guy was even acting all chummy with her, and she didn't mind at first, until she noticed his hungry stare. As her disgust made itself clear, I absentmindedly threw a blanket over Moriko's head to make him look away. _Perverts, the lot of them._

I honestly don't know what they find so appealing about her, though. Like, sure, she's a woman, with a little extra on her womanly parts, and I guess men like that, but she also isn't on the _dainty_ side. She's nearly my height, and human men often consider me _tall_ , and her voice is husky like mine, but only slightly higher pitched.

At one point, she dropped her pants without warning to change into the red hakama, and I didn't even have time to turn away. I realized why she didn't care when I saw that her undergarments were just a little shorter than her previous "shorts", except tighter. I didn't stare, cause why should I? I've never really found women pretty. Except my mother. She was beautiful. And Kikyo. She was average looking, but for some reason I found her prettier than any of the other women.

This girl is hard to compare to our women, considering her strange features. I'm pretty sure the men gawking at her only found her chest 'attractive'. I can't say she's _ugly_ , but I guess I don't really have a say, considering my own lack of interest in how a person looks. Though, in her quick moment of changing clothes, I saw enough. She had stretch marks on her hips, and her stomach was not at all flat. Her calves were as toned as my own, but her thighs were nowhere near muscular. Her arms were muscled, and as I remember her pulling my hands back towards her the night before, _strong_ , but flabby. Kaede actually made a comment, saying she looked healthy with all the extra "meat on her bones". I guess she's right, the girl is healthy. If we're going to be traveling like she said before, I won't have to really worry about fatigue, and maybe she'll even help with camp, considering her strength.

She could probably take down any of these village men.

I don't think she's pretty, but I do know she's strong, and smart— when she's not being an idiot, at least.

Strength and tactic is better than a pretty face, especially in combat.

"Thanks for doing most of the talking while I was out. I didn't realize I was so exhausted!" Her voice brings me back to the present, and I look over at her.

I shrug. "No problem. I mean, it was just everything you told me, anyway."

"I guess so, but for you to so quickly relay all of that information to her, even about your youkai half? I was really proud of you for telling her so much." We stop at the tree and she sits on a fallen log at the base. I lean against the trunk, arms behind my head.

"What's to be proud about, wench? I just told her what I was supposed to, it's no big deal." My words are haughty, but I struggle to hold back a blush at her praise. _Is it just her job to compliment everyone or something? It's starting to get on my nerves._

She groans and rolls her eyes. " _Still_. Thank you, even if you don't think it was a big deal."

"Feh."

She doesn't reply, and we stop talking. I peek an eye open at her to see what she's doing. She's staring at the sky, eyes shining, a warm smile gracing her features, the moonlight making her face glow.

She's not pretty.

But as I watch her gazing at the stars and grinning like an idiot, I come to realize something.

She's definitely not bad to look at.

* * *

"THE _FOOT,_ INUYASHA, THE _FOOT_!"

"DAMN IT, WOMAN, LET ME HANDLE THIS!"

I had missed the first time, and her loud nagging is grating on my nerves.

It came to us early afternoon, snatching the jewel resting on the ground next to her as we ate our lunch by the tree with the fallen log. She didn't try to stop it from taking it, and I knew why, but I still panicked when the crow swallowed it.

She didn't even flinch when it swooped down in front of her, and now that I think about it, she probably watched it descend. _She could've at least_ _ **warned**_ _me, damn it!_ The meal in front of me had my full attention; I never saw it coming.

She asked to borrow Kaede's bow and an arrow this morning, so she could be "prepared". I asked her if she knew how to shoot a bow. She said she only practiced with a "homemade" one back at home _sometimes_.

When I asked her how the fuck she was going to shoot a damn bird youkai down with such little practice and with _one_ arrow, she rolled her eyes and walked away without an answer.

Which left me, honestly, a bit grumpy.

Of course, not that I'd admit it.

I jump towards a kid that the crow is going for. As soon as the talons grab him, I grab both of its legs in one hand and slice them off with the other.

It shrieks and starts to fly towards the forest. I waste no time and run to Moriko, twitching feet in hand. She has the bow and arrow ready and waiting. I toss one foot, grab Kaede's offered string, and tie the other to the arrow. As soon as the knot is tied, she releases the taut string.

"The jewel regenerates its user, so the foot has no choice but to bring the arrow with it. That's why I used the foot." Moriko gives Kaede her bow back without looking, her eyes on the soaring arrow.

"Okay, but _why_? Why not just kill the damn thing?" I ask, not even trying to hide my annoyance.

"Because if I didn't do it like this, then—" She pauses as the arrow hits the crow straight on. A blinding flash illuminates the sky for a brief moment. _I'm pretty sure I just heard a crack._

Suddenly, tiny lights dart away from the source, shooting in all directions.

"Then _that_ wouldn't have happened."

And at that moment, I'm terrified to ask what _that_ was.

* * *

Chapter four is already finished, and it's a long ass chapter, let me tell you.

I plan on posting Sunday's mainly. Just know that posts will be made a week after the previous. Tell me what you think!


	4. Some Shampoo Would be Nice

Fairly long chapter. I hope everyone enjoys!

I laughed so hard writing this chapter, tbh. The humor in here is golden.

Disclaimer: I'm so fucking BROKE! Rumiko pls

* * *

Chapter 4: Some Shampoo Would be Nice

 **Moriko**

 _I knew he'd be mad but damn, I already told him my reasons!_

It has been only a day since the jewel was shattered, and already Inuyasha is driving me insane.

 _He's lucky he doesn't have the damn rosary on!_

Honestly, with my temper and his constant griping, I have been very tempted to have Kaede use them. I only relented because I'd rather have him in a good mood before I sit him down and explain why I'm binding the rosary to him.

The shattering of the jewel has only left him pissed.

We had gone to the area the jewel would have 'dropped', and I waited. The crow darted towards me through the branches of a nearby tree, but Inuyasha sliced it apart before it even got within a few meters of me. I casually walked over and picked up the small shard.

" _I got the shard!"_

" _I was afraid that's what_ _ **that**_ _was."_

" _What what was?"_ I asked innocently.

" _When you shot the bird, bitch!"_ He was shaking his fist at me and growling when suddenly he stopped, eyes wide. _"When you were talking about my youkai… You said a small shard made me change…"_

And since then, he's been refusing to let me talk to him. Oh, he'll yell at me all he wants, and he'll grumble and growl, but he won't let me get a _single_ word in. I know I can't make him listen, even when I talk to Kaede about everything, knowing he can hear every word, but with Yura nearby, I start to worry. _Do I roll with it, or do I change things up?_

My side is still sore, and Kaede had told me it'd be a couple weeks before she'll remove the stitches. I had asked her earlier if it was okay to bathe in the pond, and if I would end up getting an infection if I did. She said it's possible, but since my wound is already scabbing over, very unlikely.

I run my hand through my greasy scalp. The rest of my hair is as tangled as ever, despite me trying to comb it. My thick strands and volume make using a simple comb _impossible_.

Even if I were to bathe, plain pond water wouldn't help me, either. Sure, the water is hella clear and void of my world's pollution, but what I _need_ is some shampoo and conditioner. The water will only rid some of the grease and tangle the rest of my hair even more.

I sigh. _Pros and cons to every choice, I suppose…_

I glance at Inuyasha lounging in 'our' tree with the fallen log.

 _Bath it is then._

I walk back into Kaede's hut, putting my mission into motion. "Kaede, I would really like a bath. Do you have a towel and a change of clothes I can borrow while I wash and dry these?"

She looks at me in surprise. "Of course, I do, but are you sure, child? The water can be quite chilly during this time of year. I wouldn't want you getting sick."

I wave her off. "No, no, there's no need to worry about that. I've swam in near frozen water before, a pond in this sunny weather is no biggie!"

"No… Biggie?"

"It's not a big deal."

"Ah, if you're sure then." She turns to her trunk and wordlessly hands me a large tan towel and a simple navy yukata. "Do you need any underclothes?"

"Nah, I'll wash the ones I have and just go commando until they dry." I start walking away and stop. "Uh, Kaede?"

"Yes, Moriko?"

"Where is the pond?"

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

To say I'm pissed off is an understatement. I'm _furious_.

And no, not because of the shattered jewel— though I was _definitely_ annoyed about that— cause she had good reason to shatter it. We would have the upper-hand in defeating Naraku. I'm _fine_ with that.

No, I'm mad about her not _telling me_. She had a chance to mention it when talking about my youkai half, and a chance to tell me when talking about our future travels, and she never gave me a reason as to _why_ until _after_ the jewel was shattered.

I've heard her conversations with Kaede. I know she's annoyed with me. I know she thinks that she had a good reason to have kept it a secret. Hell, maybe I really would've been mad if she told me beforehand, but the threat of Naraku getting his hands on the jewel _surely_ would've snapped me out of my pissy ranting and go get the job done.

At least, I think it would.

I'm not _that_ stupid.

 _You sure about that?_

A growl escapes my throat and I thump my head against the trunk of the tree. _Maybe she was right… She seems to know a lot about me…_

"Argh! What am I saying?!" I grip the sides of my head and shake it side to side. "That the bitch is _right_?! What a joke!"

I slump forward at my outburst and cross my arms with a huff. _I really don't see the need to apologize, she's the one who kept the secret from me!_

 _Yeah, and probably for good reason. You have a habit of making rash decisions when you're in a bad mood._

I groan as my conscious continues to point out viable reasons for me to apologize.

I'll admit, I said some things to her that I really wish I could take back. Hurtful things, rude jokes about her appearance, turning away from her when she looked at me, not saying a single word unless it was meant as an insult.

 _What a great friend I am._

And yet, despite all that I said, she didn't seem hurt by any of it, or even angry. She was annoyed, yes, but more about the fact that I wasn't listening to her than my rude quips. _It's like she knows I'm just taking my anger out on her._

 _Or she's just really fucking patient._

I have a feeling it's mostly the former.

I'm brought out of my thoughts as her scent brushes past me. I look down and see her and Kaede walking towards the direction of the pond. She's holding a towel and a yukata.

 _Is she going to_ bathe _… In this weather?!_

I smack my forehead at her stupidity. "Idiot! She's gonna get herself sick! What the Hell is she thinking?!"

I hop off the tree and follow behind them.

Now, I _was_ going to talk her out of it. But out of pettiness, I decide to sneak up onto the overhanging cliff near the pond, instead. _Let her make her own stupid decisions. See if I care._

Kaede sets her bow and quiver down at her side and sits on a flat boulder, starting a fire in a little pit. Moriko strings up a drying rack and begins to undress. Out of fear of her wrath, I turn away. Even if she doesn't believe me, I'll have my conscious on _my_ side, for once.

A shriek grabs my attention and I look back. _Oh_.

She didn't get out of her underclothes.

She splashes her feet around and tries to continue in, a long, exasperated growl escaping her throat as she goes deeper. _It's cold, idiot._

I expect her to give up by the time it reaches her hips, but to my surprise, she squares her shoulders and dunks herself under the water. _She sure is determined to get clean._

She pops up with a gasp. "Dear GOD!" Even from up here, I can see her shaking.

"Child, I really think you should leave the water, for your health." Kaede waves her to come out. "Come and warm yourself by the fire. I'll wash your clothes."

Moriko shakes her head quickly, her wet her flinging back and forth. When she stops to speak, her hair keeps going and slaps her face. I hold back a snort.

She groans and pulls her hair back. "Listen, I don't want to be any more trouble than I've already been. Trust me, it's really hard for people in my world to get such minor sicknesses. If anything, I would only need to worry about hypothermia, but as you can see," She dunks her head back and starts to roughly scrub her scalp. She continues, the back of her head submerged. "It's not freezing! Cold, but not the worst I've been in." She goes under again and comes up, attempting to comb her hair with her fingers. "Aw, fuck, I _knew_ this would happen… Where's some conditioner when you need it?"

She starts walking out of the water, her hair clean but unbelievably tangled. Considering that her hair is nearly as long as mine, I actually pity her. Another youkai perk; constant silky, untangled hair— at least, for most youkai, _and_ if it's clean. She doesn't have a chance to fix that without an adequate amount of pain and hair-loss. She had tears in her eyes this morning when she tried to comb her hair, and I almost offered to help, but I was still mad.

She walks over to grab the hanging towel and starts to rub herself down, her red top now dark with water, and her black 'shorts' shining. At this point, I decide to quit hiding.

 _Maybe fix her hair as an apology?_

I choke. While the idea itself isn't bad, my pride has me screaming 'No way in _Hell_ '.

My claws could easily comb through her tangles without doing much damage, nor causing much pain. I sigh as the inevitable shoves its rear into my face. _Suck it up, ya bastard, you fucked up long enough._

 _Well, damn, here goes nothing._

I jump down silently and quietly walk over to the shivering girl as she fights to dry and untangle her now darkened waves. She's losing.

I cross my arms. "Yo."

She squeaks and falters as she spins to look at me. "Oh, Inuyasha!" She laughs quietly. "Well, I guess we're tied on our sneak game! You got me good."

I say nothing and shrug. "I guess."

She frowns. "Are you really still mad at me? I really tried to expl—"

I cut her off. "I'm not mad anymore, stupid, _unless_ you count your ice-cold dip. I'd rather not have you sick if we have to fucking _travel_ , you know."

She rolls her eyes but smiles. "I'm not gonna get sick, silly." She pauses and continues to try and untangle her hair. She grimaces in pain. "S-so, why aren't you mad anymore? Just ti— _ow_ — tired of being ma-AD!"

"Will you stop that?! You're practically scalping yourself!" I grab her hand and pull it away from her hair. Multiple strands follow, still knotted between her fingers. I lift them off and toss them to the ground. "Here. Sit."

"Wha-?" I turn her shoulders and plop her onto another one of the smooth boulders next to the pit.

"Just let me do it, wench. I doubt you want to wind up bald by tonight." I snicker as I kneel behind her. "Now, _that_ would be an amusing sight to see."

She softly laughs, but doesn't reply. I start from the bottom, taking my time to untangle or slice any knots my claws meet. I can feel Kaede's eyes, or _eye_ , on me, and I do my best to just concentrate on the task at hand. I'm nearly finished when she hums a sigh.

"Man, I'm pretty sure the women in my world would line up for you to comb their hair." She giggles.

I scoff. "Hey, I'm only doing this cause I-I—" I stop. _I am not a direct person, damn it! I can't even apologize properly!_

"Cause you what?"

I clear my throat. _Just clear the air, damn it. We've got a youkai to fight soon. There's no room for tension. Suck it up._

"I-I was… I offered… To uh… To say…" I swallow as the words become lodged in my throat. _What the FUCK!_

"To say sorry?" She whispers. She's not laughing, either. From what I can tell, it's gratitude.

"Y-yeah… For uh… Sayin' a bunch of shit and all that… You didn't… Don't… Ya know…" I can't finish my sentence, and I hope she gets the message.

Pretty sure the Kami were looking down at me just now and blessed me for once in my life.

"Thank you. I didn't think you meant them, so I didn't take them to heart. I know you're not cruel, sometimes your temper just gets the best of you." She chuckles. "It took me years to learn how to be more patient with people, you know! I used to be a _major_ ass."

I can't help but grin. " _Used_ to? You sure about that?"

"Ugh! Jerk!" She laughs and turns to lightly slap my shoulder.

"Oi! Stop! I'm almost done, idiot." I turn her back around and comb both of my hands from her scalp to the end of her hair. I stand and brush off the loose strands. "Done."

She pops up and spins to me, wearing a brilliant smile. "Thanks! I was so worried about what I was gonna do about that!"

"Keh. No problem, wench. It was just a… Needed task." I mutter. I look down at her still soaked underclothes. "You should get dressed. Wet clothes ain't gonna help you get any warmer, ya know."

She nods and walks over to the folded yukata next to Kaede. "Okay, so, arms through… Good… And uh, it's left over right, I think? Ugh, I always forget, and I was just wearing one, too!"

Kaede and I answer her unspoken question in unison. "Left over right."

She looks up from her fumbling and flushes red. "Oh, yeah, right!"

She folds it and encircles her waist with a thin white obi. "Uh, Kaede? How do you tie this? Is there a special way or...?"

Kaede chuckles softly. "Here, face your back to me, child. I'll tie it for you and show you another day."

Her blush doesn't cease. "Much appreciated, Kaede-sama."

"You are very welcome, Moriko."

"Have you really never worn our type of clothing before? Does it not exist in your world?" I can't help but ask.

"No, these past few days have been the first I've ever worn such outfits, but they do exist in my world, just not where _I'm_ from." She pulls her hair out from the yukata and ties it into a low tail with a strange hair tie. She lowers her fingers to the hem of her yukata, then stops. She eyes me. "Can you turn around for a second?"

"Uh, sure?" I turn, wondering what she was about to do. I don't have to wonder for long as she walks past me towards the pond, her bloodstained underwear and miko clothes in hand. _Oh._

She jerkily moves to bend down to balance on the balls of her feet, the water only reaching her ankles, and starts to scrub each piece of clothing. She's mumbling, but I can't catch any of her words, so I turn and sit at her previously used boulder, my arm propping up my chin.

Kaede clears her throat, and my eyes move toward her. "So, you really _are_ friends, hmm, Inuyasha?"

"Tch. Yeah, yeah, I guess. She's the one who kept asking about it, not me. I just got annoyed at her yapping and accepted." I lie straight through my teeth. _Stupid babaa, she doesn't need to be sticking her nose into my business!_

"Mhm, _sure_ you did, Inuyasha." Kaede chuckles as I shoot her a glare with a growl.

"Oi! What are you implying?!" _Over-reaction, idiot. Now she knows._

 _She already knew before, so what's the point?_

"Nothing, nothing! It's just so strange to see you so at ease in another's presence." _The fuck is she smiling about? Ugh, women._

"Oh, please, this isn't new. I was comfortable with Kikyo, wasn't I?" _No. She wanted you calm and controlled._

" _Please, Inuyasha. Stop behaving like such an animal! My people are already wary of you as it is."_

I cringe. She was right, I know, and I have yet to change. I'm guessing it's just my personality. More than a century of solitude and not trusting a single person or thing will do that to you.

Especially if you're a hanyou.

"Were you, Inuyasha? My sister was quite the, how do I say, controlling one," Kaede closes her eye as she continues. "I saw you two, more often than you'd think. She has always been one in power, and you would not submit so easily. So, while she viewed you as a friend, and soon after a would-be- _human_ husband, and you loving her all the same, neither of you ever let your guards down." _Funny, Moriko said the same thing. How did we never see it?_ "Now, I'll be the first to admit, I had never seen my sister so happy, nor so beautiful, when you said you would become human. She even decided against using a submission spell on you when you agreed to do so."

 _She was going to do WHAT?!_

"A submission spell?!" I shoot up to my feet, not believing my ears.

"Aye, my boy. She was worried you would betray her, or change your mind last minute…" She pauses, and I almost don't want to wait for her to say more. "And she died believing that you did, I suppose."

I feel crushed.

The first woman I ever loved, because our trust was so fragile, died believing I would stoop so low. And she believed I would have, even before Naraku made it 'true'.

"Inuyasha?"

 _Oh, great._

* * *

 **Moriko**

I heard his shout. _Did she tell him?! Oh no._

I quickly stand and walk over, wringing out my clothes. When I hear the topic of the conversation, I change course to hang them up as she finishes her speech. As she did so, his ears droop, lower than I've ever seen them. _Even from behind, he looks so sad._

"Inuyasha?" I say gently, moving to walk up behind him.

"What?!" He snaps at me. Despite his voice, his ears are not laid back in anger.

I've always been able to read emotions well. I can read people like an open book— their personalities, what they're thinking at the time, or how they're feeling.

It's not anger I see.

This is something akin to regret.

Disappointment.

Fear.

Grief.

If he was so adamant to never shed a tear, I'm positive he'd be crying at this very moment.

My own eyes start to water at the thought, my face mirroring his mind. "Are you alright?" I whisper.

His eyes widen, ears popping up once again. Suddenly, he growls and jumps away from us, crouching close to the cliffside.

"Will you all just _butt out_ of my life?!" He shouts away from us, not wanting us to look at him.

I sigh. _Kikyo's distrust hurts him to this day. I wish she could have loved him as he is. I can't blame her for how she was raised, but he's still half human, damn it!_

I can't comfort him, he knows I already know everything. I can't think of anything to say, though. So, I just say what any person says to someone hurting, when they can do nothing but watch.

"I'm sorry." My voice soft. My heart wrenches in my chest for him. Fictional character before or not, now, he is _real_. He _experienced_ this Hell he calls a life. He's in front of me, heart suffering, and I can do nothing but offer him my trust and my friendship. To pray that he will feel joy again. To trust again.

But right now?

He needs some time alone.

His ears twitched at my words, and suddenly, they swivel towards the worn path leading to the village.

 _ **After,**_ _Yura is dealt with._

"Kaede, her daughter is not ill. Yura is controlling her, and soon, all of the villagers. I'm going to go with Inuyasha to hunt her down. She's nearby, in the forest somewhere. I'll follow the hair."

She's about to say something, probably what the Hell I was talking about, when a young woman and her newborn strapped to her back walks into view.

"Oh?" Is all she says. I nod.

"Go ahead and go with her, and walk slow. I'll get dressed real quick and we'll head out." I glance at her arrows. "I also may need your bow and arrows."

She nods silently, and bends to put out the fire. She stands and walks over to the worried mother of two. "Kaede-sama, please, my little girl…"

I stop listening as I turn to take down the now lightly damp clothes. _This is gonna suck._

I struggle to pull up my underwear. _I'm not going commando if I have to end up riding on his back! No way in Hell!_

I finally pull them up with a snap, all the while managing to keep my yukata's hem at the thigh. I strip and start to frantically pull on my kosode and hakama, mumbling the directions Kaede gave me before.

 _Success!_

As soon as I finish, I spin and pick up Kaede's discarded bow and arrows. Slinging them across my chest, I walk towards Inuyasha.

He hasn't moved, but his ears are twitching. Obviously, he heard everything.

I hold my hand out to him. "Inuyasha."

He doesn't turn.

"Inuyasha, we've got a job to do."

He flinches, and slowly turns to look at me, then at my outstretched palm.

He doesn't take it, just stares, his face wary.

"Come on, Inuyasha, we've got to go kick some youkai ass." I grin.

He starts at that, glancing at me, eyebrows slightly raised. He looks back at my hand, and slowly rests his palm on mine.

I grip his hand and slightly pull to draw him up. "Ready to go kill a bitch?"

He smirks only slightly. "Guess I am."

"Good. Now, we gotta move quick. I don't want Kaede six feet under by the time we're done here." I chuckle. I look down and see that our hands are still joined, and his eyes follow mine. I slowly let go and let my hand fall. _I was expecting callouses… But his hand is as smooth as my own._

With all of the hubbub during his youkai story, I hadn't noticed how his hands felt. _Soft._

"Well, if we gotta get there fast…" He scratches behind his head and looks away, his cheeks slightly pink. _Such a cute quirk of his!_ He looks back at me with a small grin. "You wanna ride?"

My heart nearly explodes in my chest. _So. Fucking._ _ **Cute**_ _._

The small but genuine smile, his voice light, and just my own excitement from getting a chance to fly without feeling terrified make my heart thump in my ears. I may be terrified of heights, but in that moment, I push it away. _He'll never drop me._

I can't help my huge smile and outburst of an excited, "Yes!"

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

" _I'm sorry."_ She said. Why? I don't know.

She has nothing to be sorry for.

Quite the opposite actually.

Especially considering the fact that after Kaede left, she just tried her best to, dare I say, cheer me up. Her words didn't entirely work, but once I realized what she was trying to do, for some reason, that helped a lot more than her words did.

Even before she said sorry, there were tears in her eyes. The scent hit me after I snapped at her, and I was worried that _I_ had made her cry, but she didn't look like she was hurt, more like she was worried. I questioned my own eyes, wondering why she would be worried, and I almost brushed it off as my imagination until she whispered, _"Are you alright?"_

She was worried. She was _worried_.

I didn't know how to deal with that realization, so, I avoided it altogether. And they let me, thankfully. I needed a moment to think.

Kikyo must have hated me so much before her death. She must have _despised_ me, as much as I did her at the beginning of my revival.

Kaede gave me some new information about what Kikyo thought of me, even more than Moriko gave me, which, now that I think about it, she probably kept from me since it was just more pain from the past. She said herself that she hated it. She hated how things went, and she hated how that pain would continue. When I asked her what she meant, she just shook her head and said, determination in her voice, _"I won't let that pain happen to you again, no matter what happens."_

It was another statement of hers that left me actually _wanting_ to be her friend. And she was happy to. She _wanted_ to be my friend before I even knew her name, before we had even talked for long, and even after I threatened to _kill_ her. _'Strange' is a_ _ **minor**_ _way of describing this girl._

I was surprised when she held her hand out to me and gripped mine. She gave me a little start to get moving when she 'pulled' me up.

We have to get moving quick, and she's human. She can't get there as fast as I can, so I offer her a ride. For some reason I'm smiling as I ask. Probably because she's smiling, too.

Her smile widens, eyes shining in excitement as she exclaims, "Yes!"

I'm taken aback by her shout. _Excited much?_

"Damn, wench, why are you so giddy over a _ride_?" I chuckle. _She looks like a little kid._ I'm not sure if she realizes she's doing it, but she's very slightly bouncing.

"Are you kidding? You may be used to it, but I'm stuck on the ground here, _and_ I'm scared to _death_ of heights, so I can't really just go climbing things, now can I?" She stops bouncing and clasps her hands together. "Besides, I wanna know how it feels to fly without worrying about falling!"

 _She's scared of heights? This may not be a good idea._

"Uh, Moriko, if you're scared of being high up, this might not be a good idea…" I mutter.

She barks a short laugh. "Why? It's not like you'll drop me." She puts on a pout. "You… Don't _want_ to drop me, do you?"

I choke over my words, "O-of course, not! I-I just thought that you— I mean— if you're _scared_ —"

She interrupts me with another laugh. "It's alright, it's alright! I'm only kidding!" She smiles wide again. "I know you won't let me fall, Inuyasha. I'd love to fly with you."

Then that word pops into my mind again. Trust. _She trusts me not to let her fall._

 _Why does my life seem to be revolving around trust lately?_

I give her a grin. "Well, if you insist…" I turn around and crouch. "Then hop on! We've got a hairy youkai bitch to take care of!"

She laughs at my quip, and giggles excitedly as she moves to climb my back. I grip her thighs and stand as she tightens her arms around my chest.

"Alright, which way we goin'?" I turn my head to the still giggling miko on my back.

She stops, her lips pursing and moving to the side. I try my damnedest not to snort at the stupid look on her face.

"Well, first let's head in the direction of the village, but stay on the outskirts. I'll tell you where to go when I see the strands."

"Right." And with that, I jump. She gasps and grips me tighter, but her ecstatic, yet quiet, squeal reassures me that it isn't a gasp of fear. I turn my head slightly to gauge her expression and am welcomed with a look of complete wonder.

"This is amazing! And you get to do this all the time? I'm so jealous!" She speaks at a normal volume, which surprises me. With the wind, I would expect her to yell. _I guess she really is aware of how sensitive my ears are…_

I look forward again, instead of answering, and land at the end of the path, close to the village. She goes to move, but I grip her tight. "Stay on, wench, we're gonna move again soon. You see what you're lookin' for?"

She hums and looks around, sitting straight up with her hands resting on my shoulders.

"They're here somewhere… At least the villagers aren't under control just yet…" She continues to look, I'm guessing, around, but she doesn't spot anything. "Ugh, I can't see any! I know they're here, though! The girl is unconscious cause she's under their control."

"Want me to run around and see if you spot 'em?"

"Great idea!" I try not to blush at her praise. "Let's do that. I'll tell you where to go if I see them."

"Ready yourself." I bend slightly, getting ready for a jump. She leans in close and wraps her arms around my chest.

"Ready!"

I jump from the few sparse trees lining the edge of the village on the opposite side of the rice farm. I land on a branch, and she gasps. "I see them! Go straight!"

"Right!"

I stop jumping and just run. We enter the edge of the forest. "Sharp left!"

I swerve and debate on whether or not to jump from branch to branch. _Nah, if I'm not careful at this speed she'd end up with some major cuts._

"Stop!"

 _Wasn't expecting that._

I skid to a stop, surrounded by trees. "What? Is she here?" I sniff the air and gag. _Not a smell I want to be smelling!_

"What's wrong?" She moves to get off, so I set her down.

"Nothing," I say a little too quickly. "Why'd we stop?"

"Oh, there's a few lines of hair right here," She points directly in front of us. _I see nothing._ "So, she's nearby. We need to come up with a plan to apprehend her." She pauses. "Inuyasha?"

"What? Do _I_ have to come up with the plan or something?" She doesn't answer.

She sighs. "Enough with the snark, my friend, I wanted to ask why you're breathing through your mouth."

"O-oh, well, uh…" I clear my throat. "I'd rather not say."

"Why not?" Her eyes widen. "Oh, do I smell or something? I'm sorry! I was hoping the bath would help but I don't have any—"

"No no no no! It's not you! You smell fine! It's just that…" _My cheeks feel warm._ "Well, I can smell Yura nearby and uh…"

"Why are you blushing?"

 _Damn it, woman, you don't have to point it out!_

I mutter to myself, "Just say it already and she'll leave you alone." She raises a brow at that. I sigh. "Well, she is, uh, how do I say…" I tap my nose. "I can smell her…"

I let out a low growl. _Please, Kami, don't let her laugh at me._

"Smell her what?" She asks, cocking her head to the side.

I sigh again and close my eyes, not wanting to see her reaction. "Her arousal."

Silence. I peek an eye open. I was expecting her to laugh, or comment about my nose, or say something gross, but she just has a look of disgust on her face. _That's not towards me, is it?!_

" _Ewww_! Are you saying she gets off on _controlling_ people?! With _hair_?!" She whispers loudly.

"I— uh, yeah, I guess. I dunno." My blush has yet to leave my face.

"Oh _God_ , and she doesn't even know about you yet! I mean, she totally has a thing for your hair, and I wouldn't be surprised if she wound up mas—"

"Stop stop stop, I don't wanna know where that sentence is going!" I interrupt her quickly. _Damn, and I thought_ _ **I**_ _was crude!_ "Don't we need to make a plan, anyway?" I change the subject.

"Oh! Right!" _Again, with the mood swings!_ "Okay, so the bow is mainly for when we get to her lair, but I guess it can be useful in her capture, too. If I can figure out how to focus my reiki just enough to keep her still, then this'll be a lot easier to deal with. If not, you're gonna need to hold her while we figure out where her hideout is." She taps her chin and looks at me with her what I've come to know as her 'thinking face': eyebrows furrowed, mouth pursed and moved to the side. _She looks so stupid… What's she thinking, anyway?_ "Do you think you'd be able to follow her scent back to her hideout once we get her? I doubt she'll want to make it easy."

 _Oh._

"Probably, as long as it ain't nearly a day old." I reply.

"Awesome! Okay, so, when we see her, she'll be resting against the trunk of a tree on a branch, like you usually do. If we sneak up and surprise her, we can probably pin her down before she gets the chance to use her comb or sword. Besides, I'd rather not have you stabbed multiple times. And no, I _don't_ care if your youkai healing heals you overnight, it's not fun to see you hurt!"

 _That's not something I hear too often… Or ever._

"Okay, so, what? Want me to just knock her down? Slash her? Why don't we just kill her here?"

"She's, how do I say, _'immortal'_ ," She holds her hands up and does a strange finger motion while saying "immortal". "But not really. Her lair is a giant ball of hair and skulls, and there's a red skull that I'm gonna need you to smash when I find it. The comb inside harbors her soul. It's the only way to take her out for good."

"Alright, let's get going then." I start to walk to the right of where we stopped, deeper into the forest. "We'll take her out when we get there."

She quickly follows close behind me and nudges me to the right a bit. "Sorry, I don't want you to touch the hair or she'll know we're here, and I don't want to touch it cause I'll get sliced." She rests her fingers on her chin for a moment, and then looks back up at me. "How about this? I shoot an arrow near her hand or something, so she'll look towards me, and you can jump up from the other side and take her off the branch to hold her down on the ground. I'll see if I can use my reiki, but it's a slim chance. I haven't trained my powers yet, obviously, since I've only just gotten them, but why not try? You think it'll work?"

I shrug. "Doubt it."

For some reason, I constantly find myself wanting her to be annoyed, even if it's at me. She's just too… _Cheery_.

 _Or you're just too grumpy._

 _Shut it._

She interrupts my thoughts with a soft laugh. _I was expecting anger…_ "Honestly? You're probably right. But hey, I'm gonna start practicing soon anyway, why not start now?"

I can feel her looking at me, and I shift my eyes in her direction on my left. _Her height is really unnerving._ She's smiling— _as per usual_ — and she doesn't seem to be in a bad mood whatsoever. _Why's she so damn happy all the time? Is this normal for her world or something? And she's still staring at me…_

"What?" I snap, her stare and smile unsettling my nerves.

"Nothing, really. Just in a good mood." She whispers and smiles even wider, her eyes squinting. Her high cheekbones disappear into her smile, and I suddenly notice a very light shade of freckles spread across her nose and cheeks.

"But _why_?" I can't help the hint annoyance that goes with my question.

"I already told you! I'm happy to be here." She giggles, then suddenly her expression turns… Sad? "I'm not usually a happy person, and I never really have been. Sure, I would smile and make jokes with my friends and family but…" She sighs. "I actually never _really_ smiled. Laughs were real but the happiness wasn't. Life was something I would often find myself happy to be _without_." My eyes widen at that. _Is she saying what I think she's saying?_ She turns to me and gives me a toothy grin. "But now, I've got something to look forward to living for!" She softens her smile and places a hand on my shoulder. _Don't flinch don't flinch don't flinch._ "And I'm _so glad_ because of it."

As she removes her hand from my shoulder, it dawns on me that she probably has never been so happy about anything in her life. _I sure can understand_ _ **that**_.

Sometimes, I would be tempted to let a youkai devour me instead of running, but instincts would kick in and tell me to run like Hell. And that's just when I was a _kid_.

That thought makes me wonder. "Were you like that your… _Whole_ life?" I ask quietly, truly curious.

She seems surprised that I even asked her a question at all. "Well…" She glances away. "I like to think I wasn't, that at some point I _must_ have been happy, but my earliest memories were when I was three years old…" Her voice softens even more. "And while bad things were already happening, they only got worse from there… Things started to brighten up a lot more once I made a real friend, over a decade later. Pretty sure we saved each other, but even the best of friendships can't always fix the worst of wounds. And sometimes, they keep happening, and all you can do is grip them for dear life and ride through it together."

She looks at me then, and her gaze turns to one of sorrow. "But you didn't even have that much, did you?" She whispers.

I stop walking, looking down as I gruffly answer, "No, I didn't. And the one time I _did_ it came back to bite me in the ass."

She doesn't say anything, so I look up at her. She still looks sad. Suddenly, she shakes her head slowly and starts to smile again. "It's useless to waste time on such sad memories." She holds her hand out to me. _She does that a lot, doesn't she?_ "Let's go make some happier ones."

I start to walk again, but I don't take her hand. "Don't people always say not to forget the past or somethin' like that?"

She drops her hand, but she keeps her small smile. "I never said I'd forget, but I'll just make sure that my future is better than my past." She runs up next to me again. "And you can, too, ya know. Nothing is keeping you from moving on towards tomorrow. Winter may kill, but Spring will always bring back life, right?"

I scoff. "What do _seasons_ have to do with moving on from bad memories?"

I notice she stopped walking and turn to see why. Her hands are pressed against her mouth, her chest shaking. She brings her hands down and takes a staggering breath. "I-Inuyasha, I'll—" She snorts. "I'll explain it later, my friend."

 _What's she laughing about? Did I miss something?_

She gasps and grabs my shoulder, hauling me into the bushes.

"Geez, woman, wha—" She slams her hand against my mouth to silence me.

" _Shhh_! She's right over there!" She whispers.

 _Oh, yeah. Yura._

She removes her hand from my lips and peeks over the bushes she hid us in. She ducks back down.

"Alright, I'm pretty sure I can shoot her from here. You'll only have a split second, especially if I miss or if she dodges the arrow. Just go behind her to the other side, and once you see my arrow flying towards her, _go for it_."

"Okay, but, what if you accidentally hit _me_?"

"That's worst-case scenario, let's hope for the best for once and maybe we can actually do it. You with me?" She gives me a serious, determined look. _I'm so fucking dead_.

I sigh and nod. She smirks, practically radiating confidence.

"Then let's do this!"

* * *

 **Moriko**

 _I really don't want to do this, but Hell, am I determined!_

I pull back an arrow and attempt to focus my energy into it, thinking of what it should look like while soaring. I wait for almost a minute, giving Inuyasha just enough time to reach the other side as quietly as possible.

She's talking to herself.

"Why is no one coming out to play? And where's the little miko with the Shikon jewel? The old hag doesn't have it, I know that, but where's the little brat hiding?" _Bitch, I'm taller than you!_ She chuckles low. "You can't hide forever, little girl."

 _Fuck. You._

I aim for her hands, her palms out in front of her, twiddling with the strands of hair around her fingers.

 _Please hit her_ _ **somewhere**_ _._ I pray.

And I let it go, releasing my withheld breath when I see the pink light surrounding the shooting arrow. _And I willingly used my reiki! Awesome!_

"What?!" Yura shrieks as the arrow comes towards her. She goes to jump, but her hands have yet to drop the taut strands, keeping her there for a split moment too long. My arrow lodges itself into one of her hands, both of her forearms purifying at the contact as she screams. I see a flash of red dart towards the branch from above.

He slams into her so hard the branch snaps. He lands on top of her, holding her face to the ground. "I got her!"

"Get off of me! Let me _go_! Please! It hurts! Please, let me go!" She screams into the dirt, squirming against his weight. I sprint to them and slide to my knees, removing her sword and grabbing the discarded comb. I keep the sword behind me, out of her reach, and then I snap the comb.

"How _dare_ you?! You _bitch_! Those are _mine_!" She's seethes through clenched teeth, her face halfway up out of the dirt. Inuyasha pushes her head further into the ground.

"Not anymore they're not." I mutter. I lean forward and place my hands on her head. "Now, let's see if I can do this…"

I close my eyes and attempt to do the same as I did with the arrow. _Something_ is happening. I obviously can't really purify her entirely, but if something could just shock her enough or make her immobile, our job will be way easier.

I try to think about what needs to be done. What I want out of this act of power. What I want my reiki to do for me. I clear my mind of everything else and solely focus on my mission.

My hands start to feel warm, and I feel Yura flinch under my palms. She isn't screaming, though, so whatever I'm doing isn't causing her pain. She relaxes a moment later.

"Well, you're glowing, if that's what you wanted," Inuyasha mumbles. "I'd rather not risk releasing her, though."

I open my eyes and see that, as he said, my hands are illuminated in a pink light. It surrounds her entire head at this point, and I wonder just how _relaxed_ she really is.

"I definitely don't think I could keep up something like this for very long, but if I can make her unconscious for a good while, at least, you or I can carry her with ease."

I move my hands away, the pink light fading from my hands. I move to raise his hand up from her head, then I turn her face to the side. Her eyes are closed, mouth slightly open, dirt all over her pale face. _Even her lipstick and eyeshadow are smudged._

I experimentally pick a leg up. It's limp, and it feels like deadweight. "I think she's out."

"You sure?" He asks doubtfully.

"Pretty sure. Won't know till some point. Let her go. If I have trouble picking her up due to her deadweight, then she's definitely passed out." I reassure him.

He shrugs. "If you say so…"

He slowly moves away from her body, and I replace his arms with my own. I roll her over, with difficulty, and attempt to carry her bridal style. I grunt as I hoist up her small body. I look him dead in the eye. "Definitely unconscious. She'd be light as a feather if she was awake."

He nods and motions to take her from me. I sigh in relief as I hand her over. He looks uncomfortable carrying her in such an intimate way, her revealing clothing not helping matters. "Maybe just toss her over your shoulder? It's not like she's awake."

"Hmm, true, but…" He looks down at where the hem of her dress as ridden up, and his eyes snap back to meet mine. "Yeah, no, not happening."

I suddenly remember his earlier gagging. "Oh, right, her—"

"Yeah." He chokes out. "I've been trying to just breathe normal, but personally, this is not a pleasant smell, more of a… Mortifying… _Stench_." He crinkles his nose, and I can't help but feel bad for the guy.

"Do you think it'll mess with the tracking?" I ask worriedly.

He shakes his head no. "No, it'll just really _suck_." He starts to move in a direction, slightly towards the direction of the well. He looks back at me. "Luckily, I caught it earlier when I was rounding her. It should be in this general direction."

"Alright!" I bend to pick up the sword. _I wouldn't mind keeping this for a bit._

I stick it through the opening on the side of my hakama, and jog to catch up to his speedy pace. "So, whatcha wanna chat about till we get there?" I ask, trying not to seem out of breath from such a minor excursion. _My lungs are not top notch, hopefully this clean air will do me good._

"Do you just want to talk all the time or something? You never seem to be quiet." He gripes.

I wince. _That, and that the smell is probably still bugging him._ "Sorry, but we're walking, and I thought it'd be a way to pass the time."

He sighs. "No need to apologize, wench. If you start talking, I'll listen, but I probably won't answer."

I smile. "Okay! Hmm, what would I want to talk about?" I whisper to myself.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

 _The smell is almost faded, but my headache has yet to relieve itself, and Moriko wants to keep talking. What a day._

I exhale out of my mouth, blowing my bangs up and out of my eyes slightly. _I need a trim._

I ignore Moriko's rambling until I realize exactly _who_ the subject is about. "… And it really sucks, too. She's really pretty, and fairly powerful. If she wasn't a crazed murderer that lusted for _hair_ , she'd probably make a good ally." She stops at my questioning glance. "What?"

"Yura? A hair youkai that wears practically nothing, and if she wasn't a 'crazed murderer', she'd be a good _ally_?" I scoff. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're brain randomly disconnects from all of its stupid ideas… Like that _cold bath_."

"Hey! I needed to bathe! I was determined to get clean." She pouts and crosses her arms.

"Speaking of that cold bath, I have to ask." I speak up.

"What?" She drops her arms and looks at me expectantly.

"Why did you stay dressed?" I question.

She puts on a serious face. "Why? Did you not want me to?"

If it hadn't been for my panicked grip, I definitely would have dropped Yura. My face burns as I stare at her, stuttering, "N-no! I was just— I— damn it! I was just curious!"

She drops the look and starts laughing, holding her stomach. "Oh! Oh my God, your _face_! I was just kidding! You walked right into that one, you know!" Her laughing ebbs as I shoot her a glare.

"Not funny, wench!" I growl. I look ahead and keep walking, not expecting her to answer.

"It's because I knew you were there. I'd rather not strip on the third day of meeting a man, you know." She giggles.

"I wasn't expecting that to be— wait, you knew?! How?" _How the fuck did she know I was there? Is it another one of her visions or some shit?_

She giggles again. "Yep! Up on the overhanging cliff, right? Another future thing."

I stare at her incredulously. Another question pops up in my mind. "Wait, if you knew I was there, how come I was able to scare you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I _knew_ you were up there, but I did _not_ know that you would jump down and come talk to me. _That_ was something I didn't see coming."

 _Huh, so she really can't see_ _ **everything**_ _._

Remembering her cold dip brings on another question. "Hey, how come when we were talking our first night, you weren't shivering? You were cold, but you didn't complain or nothin'."

"Oh, that's because I'm just cold all the time! It's like my core is practically made of ice, I swear. My body just gets so cold naturally that I bypass the shivering stage." She replies nonchalantly.

"Geez, next time say something! You humans get sick easily, I don't want to deal with a griping sick human while traveling." I say gruffly. _So… Stupid…_

"Fine, fine, but you should know I've dealt with this my whole life." She waves me off.

We continue walking in silence for a while. Yura's _stench_ has finally faded, and her natural scent is becoming more apparent the further we walk into the forest.

"We're nearby." I say.

She nods. "Good, I'm glad she's still passed out. I'd rather not tangle with her right now."

"Tch, there'd be nothing to tangle _with_." I huff.

We finally exit the forest and enter a, mostly barren, rocky area.

"Holy _shit_!" Moriko gasps.

"You weren't kidding about a _lair_." I mutter.

A huge ball of hair hangs suspended midair by tendrils on the surrounding cliffside and trees.

"It's like a _nest_." She sighs and reaches to remove the bow. She nocks an arrow and pauses. "Well, here goes nothing." She whispers. She lets it loose, the arrow shining pink. She pumps her fist. "Awesome! I did it again!"

"What? Charge an arrow?" I ask.

Her arrow hits the black wad, and almost the entire underside of the lair glows pink before vanishing. Skulls lower in its place. _Gross._

"Gross." She grimaces. I scoff at the timing.

"Do you see what you're looking for?" I scan the mass of skulls and hair for anything red.

"Nope. I'm gonna shoot another one." She pulls the bowstring taut once again, and shoots. Skulls start dropping to the ground at the purification of more hair. "There! I see it!"

I follow to where she's pointing and sure enough, there's a red skull, hanging around the center of the mass of bones. I suddenly feel Yura's weight shifting and I panic, gripping her to me again.

"Uh, don't you need to hand her over to me to get the skull?" Moriko laughs softly and goes to take her from my arms again.

"O-oh, right. I'll do that." I release her from my arms and go to run towards my target. I jump and swipe my claws to release it from the lair's hold. I land just as the entire thing begins to shift. _Shit!_

I sprint back towards Moriko, not wanting to get caught under the weight of all of Yura's shit.

I skid to a halt next to her. "What now?" I toss the skull from hand to hand.

"Just smash it to dust, really." She groans, and I notice that her arms are starting to shake. _What's up with her? Yura doesn't weigh_ that _much._

"Alright, then." I squat, setting the skull down, and I raise my arm. I smash my fist into it, pieces flying off to the side at the impact. A small light glows below my hand, and a gasp grabs my attention.

Yura's awake, eyes wide but unmoving. She goes limp once again, and disintegrates in Moriko's arms, her clothing the only thing left behind.

Moriko drops the clothing and brushes her hands. "Well, that's that! Youkai number three, dealt and done with!" She puts her fists on her hips and turns to me as I stand. " _And_ we did it without anyone getting hurt, and it's not even night yet! I'm pretty proud of our accomplishment, if I do say so myself."

I roll my eyes as I cross my arms. "Didn't I do most of the work? Besides, you were about to drop her just now, weren't you?"

I smirk as she shoots me a pouty glare. "Excuse you, but who is the one that can see the hair and purify it? _And_ who is the one who knew about the whole thing?" She leans an arm forward and before I know it, her finger is pressed up against my nose, then suddenly gone. _Did… Did she just… Poke my nose?_ "That's right, _me_. And I wasn't going to drop her, but my arms _were_ growing weaker because I'm not used to shooting a bow. My aim isn't great, so we're lucky that we haven't had any moving targets just yet. Now, dog-boy, if you don't mind, I'd like to go eat something."

I say nothing as she walks away, still hung over the fact that she just poked my nose. _Wait a minute,_ _ **dog**_ _-boy?!_

"Oi, what the Hell is with that nickname?!" I shout.

She looks at me over her shoulder. "What? You call me 'wench' and 'bitch' and 'woman' and 'stupid' and—"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I growl. She gives me an evil grin.

"Be thankful that I have yet to call you the nicknames I have for you in my head out loud." She whispers. I shiver at the tone. _The Hell does that mean?!_

"Like what?" I mutter.

She giggles. "You really wanna know?" I nod. She turns towards me again, arms behind her back. "Well, my favorite is 'Inu'. Another one is 'pup'." I growl at that, but she continues with another laugh. "I thought of those during our little jewel escapade."

I stop growling. "Seriously? I threatened your life and the only thought you had was about stupid nicknames?!" _No wonder she wasn't scared._

She doesn't drop her smile. "Yup!"

I find my face meeting my palm. "What an _idiot_."

"Yeah, that's my other name." She sighs.

"Will you _shut_ it?!" I stomp past her, and as I reenter the forest I hear her mutter under her breath.

"Nope. Sorry… _Inu_."

 _This bitch will be the death of me._

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will be just as long!

I hope you guys are excited, and feel free to PM me or review!

See you next week!


	5. Enter Sesshomaru, The Pompous Asshole!

So sorry for the delay! Writing this has been Hell, and guess what? Over 4,500 words just got deleted, so I'm turning this into a two part chapter because fuck my fucking life.

FUck

Disclaimer: Rumiko why do you have to torture me like this, I just spent HOURS SLAVING OVER THIS DAMN CHAPTER TO HAVE ALL THAT WORK DISAPPEAR I cant fucking deal with this shit

* * *

Chapter 5: Enter Sesshomaru, the Pompous Asshole!

 **Inuyasha**

It's a day after Yura's demise. Today hasn't been _awful_ , but still, I just want to sleep a _little_.

Moriko sat me down today to talk to me about the rosary that Kikyo made. Immediately, I flew into a rage. _"Why the fuck would I need that?! You want to control me just as much as she did, don't you?!"_

It took her awhile to: reassure me that, no, she has no wish to control me, and to calm me down from my frantic ranting. She was firm, but also sympathetic. _"It saves your life more than once, you know. You don't have to wear it all the time, either, if you're worried about it. I can always take it off and put it back on right before it's needed."_

I calmed a little bit after that explanation, for she only wants to use it to protect me, _and_ she gave me _permission_ to have it removed at any time, which made me relax a _lot_ more. She said she'd let me think over it, but she'd like to have it at least bound to me as soon as possible.

A few hours later, Kaede was mumbling a strange chant as I waited for whatever was supposed to happen to _happen_. The beads flew apart and towards me, reforming around my neck. I tried to remove it, only for it to forcibly pull itself back down.

" _Want me to use the kotodama now, so you know what to expect?"_ Moriko asked me then.

" _Uh, is it bad?"_ I asked.

She scratched her cheek and bit her lip. _"Uhhh, it'll hurt, yeah, but saying it once doesn't leave a long-lasting ache. You usually jump right up after it wears off. I have no need to say it excessively, though, so you don't need to worry about that. It's for your_ _ **safety**_ _, not as a punishment."_

" _Well, damn, go for it, I guess."_

She motioned for me to step off the wooden floor and onto the dirt of the hut. I raised an eyebrow at her. _"Trust me."_ She said.

Probably a good thing she thought this out, or else we'd have a fucking hole in the floor.

" _Osuwari."_

She was right— it hurt for only a moment, but what shook me the most was the _surprise_ I felt when my face was unexpectedly slammed into the ground.

I didn't want to wear it after that. She said that was fine, and she took it off and wrapped it around her wrist. For some reason, I felt my heart swell when she went through with her promise, and even more so when I realized she really _was_ just doing it for my safety, not to control me. She didn't even _try_ to force it on me, either. She said I'd have to wear it at some point, but I didn't have to _now_. I just agreed to get it over with.

I would think that I'd regret agreeing to it, but for some reason I don't. I'm guessing it's because…

" _I trust you."_

My own words echo in my mind as I lounge on my usual branch.

I try to go to sleep— emphasis on the _try_. Moriko continuously wakes me up throughout the night. Apparently, she gets nightmares.

Bad nightmares.

Majorly. Bad. Nightmares.

She either whimpers, cries, or starts hyperventilating. If left long enough, she'll get louder, almost to the point of screaming, so I have to go and wake her up before she wakes the whole damn village. Kaede snores on, not even aware of the girl's predicament. I, however, with my sensitive hearing, wind up going into the hut to wake her up multiple times throughout the night. Now, she's silent, for the first time in hours. _Maybe the nightmares finally stopped?_ When I go to check on her, though, she's staring at the ceiling, wide awake.

At this point, I just softly call for her to come outside. _No point in sleeping, I guess_.

We go to our usual spot and sit on the old log. She wipes her face and eyes, trying to rid the dampness of her tears.

"I'm sorry… You're probably tired." She whispers.

"Tch, it's fine, wench. Most of the time, I don't even try to sleep." I assure her.

She turns to me with a small smile. "True, but that's not good, you know. You may be hanyou, but even you aren't invincible. Everyone needs rest at some point. Hell, even your ass of a brother needs to rest at times."

"Really, even Sesshomaru?" I ignore her admonishment.

"Yep. We're all living creatures, whether youkai, hanyou, human, or animal, and as such, we all need rest at some point or another." Her voice stays soft as she plays with the fabric of her hakama.

I'm astonished by her words. Never in my life have I ever heard someone speak in such a manner. To speak as though we are all the _same_. Even my mother spoke of my father like he was a god, like he was something not of this world. To hear Moriko say it so casually, without a second thought… Once again, I can't help but think of how strange of a person she is.

"Don't you see youkai more as monsters, though? I mean, they're nothing like humans, and most of them really _are_ monsters, whether they look human or not." I point out the undeniable fact.

"Well, in a way, you're right. They really _can_ be monsters, but so can humans, and animals, and even hanyou. We're all more similar than most people think, which brings me to another thing…" She turns towards me slightly, her hands folded in her lap. "Our future friends, and you, as well, adamantly refuse to kill humans. For what reason, I can only think that it's because humans are seen as being 'only human', instead of 'savage youkai'. I _very_ strongly disagree with this viewpoint, so be forewarned, I _will_ argue over certain situations. Innocent people do not deserve to die, nor do the repented. Guilty monsters that find slaughtering lives _fun_? I would gladly rid them of this world without a second thought."

I keep silent throughout her stern speech, looking at her with wide eyes. "I-I see." I mutter.

She smiles again. "Now, I do believe in second chances. Some people can be given such a chance… Others, on the other hand, should be disposed of immediately." Her face changes into a serious frown, and she leans towards me. "Tell me, if you knew Onigumo was to become Naraku and slaughter hundreds of people, would you kill him while he was still human?"

 _Damn, now_ that's _one Helluva question._ I avert my eyes from hers and scratch my head. "Well… I want to _say_ I would, but… To kill someone who's helpless at the time? I'd probably feel a little guilty afterwards…"

"Even though he had already killed multiple people as a human, as well?"

"Wait, he was a murderer even _before_ then? I thought it was just the influence of the youkai!" My exclamation doesn't surprise her at all.

She shakes her head slowly. "Nope. He was a bandit leader, and because of his tendency to murder whoever he wanted, whether they be in his group or not, his own men set a building he was sleeping in on fire, and then they stuffed his still living body into a bag, and tossed him into a ravine with a river at the bottom. Kikyo found him just by chance as he floated downriver, and she pitied him so much, despite Kaede's wariness of him, that she continued to help him." She looks out over the paddies as she continues. "Kaede was wise, even as a child. Kikyo was kind, but naïve. Not something you'd really expect, I suppose?" She smiles to herself.

I shake my head, even though she's not looking at me. I roll my answer through my head a few more times. "Well, as for my answer…" She looks back up at me expectantly. "If what you said is true, which I already know it is, I'm pretty sure I would… But if I had known about, well, _this_ future, as well…" I pause as she gasps softly, a tiny bit of heat rising into my cheeks. "I, um… I don't want to seem selfish, I guess… So, I would, but I wouldn't really _want_ to. From the things you've told me… My future actually seems… Better than what it could've been, and from what it _has_ been."

"Inuyasha…" She whispers. I turn to look at her smiling face. "There's _nothing_ wrong with looking forward to happiness. Fate is fate. Truthfully, I think if you _had_ killed him, and if you _had_ tried to use the jewel, well… You can't choose what it does for you, despite what people think about its 'wishing powers'. So, don't worry about the 'what ifs'. Everything happens for a reason. You are not selfish for wanting something so simple."

I sigh in relief at her words. _Well, at least she doesn't think I'm a selfish bastard._

"You think so?" I mumble.

She smiles wider. "I _know_ so."

I grin at her cockiness. "Such a statement. How can you be so sure?"

She shrugs. "Dunno. Just a gut feeling."

A rush of air escapes my nose. "Of course, it is."

She laughs softly, then stops. "Hey, wanna go for a walk? I'm feeling antsy."

I give her a 'what the Hell' look. "Seriously? A walk? Where?"

She shrugs again. "I dunno. How about that one tree you sit in when you want to get away from the village?"

 _Damn, she knows about that, too?_

"I'm never going to have any secrets with you, am I?" I huff, standing up.

She giggles and stands as well. "Sorry, I just know a lot. I don't know _everything_ , just a lot." She looks around and leans in close as we start walking. "And don't worry, I'll keep your human night a secret, too, until you feel like telling our friends. I'll cover for you if you're reluctant."

I suck in a breath at that. _Kami, I almost_ _ **forgot**_ _about that!_

I can't help but feel thankful for her willingness to let me make the decision to tell 'our friends'.

 _If you're thinking it, then why don't you tell her?_

 _Keh, like Hell!_

"Yeah, yeah, I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet about it." I grumble.

"Your _appreciation_ is _greatly_ accepted." She says in a strange, haughty voice.

"Uh, what's with the voice?" A chuckle rises from my throat.

She deadpans. "I was _trying_ to tell you 'You're welcome' in the stupid way you said 'Thank you'."

I reel back at that. _Can she read my fucking mind or something?!_

"W-who said I was s-saying _thank you_?" I shoot back.

She crosses her arms and continues walking on without me. "Uh, _you_ did. Cause I _know_ you. Why, do you just want me to misunderstand everything you say? Most people may have difficulty reading what people are trying to say or how they're feeling, but _I_ am not most people. I'll read you the same as I do everyone else. If you like, for your sake, I won't do it in front of others. Deal?" She stops and turns to me, hands moving to her hips.

 _Did… Did she just make a decision for the sake of both of us? I was expecting her to say 'deal with it' or something, not for her to try and please me, as well._

"Uh… Sure… Deal…" I mutter as I move to walk past her.

"Great!" And with that, she falls into step beside me again. We walk in silence.

Once we reach the tree, she jogs past me and moves to roll onto the grass.

"Thank God I'm wearing such thick robes! I'd rather not break out and itch for the rest of the night." She rests her arms behind her head as she lays beneath the branches.

"What do you mean 'break out'?" I walk over and lean over her. My mind rushes back to that moment in the hut, and I quickly attempt to push it away.

"Oh, I'm allergic to grass. I know, stupid, right?" She laughs. "My love for nature gets squashed every time I get a rash wherever it touches me. The morning I woke you up, my legs were super red and itchy by the end of the day from sitting in the grass. The itching didn't completely fade until I took that bath yesterday."

I let out a low growl. " _Again_ , why didn't you _say_ anything? We could've gotten you a wet cloth or some shit instead of you dealing with it!" I lean back against the trunk of the tree. "Geez, you are just _such_ an _idiot_."

She sighs. "I know… I've never been one to be very verbal about my pain unless it's borderline unbearable." _Woah, I wasn't expecting her to agree._ "I'm guessing it's because I've always felt like I had to keep my pain a secret from my family." She pauses, and turns to look at me. "I don't think I ever told you much about my past, have I?"

I shake my head no.

"Would you like to, or are you tired of listening to me these past few days?" She grins.

"I don't really mind if you don't. I mean, you know about mine, so why not? You haven't talked about yourself as much as I would expect, really." I say, my voice low.

She gives me a look of disbelief. "Really? You don't think so?"

"Yeah, you've mostly talked about the future, and things from your world, and your family… Not much of anything else, though." I reply.

"Oh, man. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing!" She laughs lightly. She puts on her Thinking Face. _Kami, I want to laugh every fucking time she does that._ "Hmm, where should I start? Good things? Bad things? Little moments?" She looks at me, as though she wants me to answer.

"Uh…" I avoid her stare. "How about you go back to what you were talking about before?"

"Oh, good idea!" She grins. She moves to sit up, turning to me as she crosses her legs. "Well, to put it lightly, I had what people would call 'friends', but they were actually just as cruel as the others, except I was _stuck_ with them. I was not one to stand up for myself. Others, sure, but if it was just me, I was free game to get beaten up." She smiles awkwardly and rubs the back of her head. "I was called a lot of mean names, made fun of for my appearance, and often called weak…" She looks down and starts to play with a few strands of grass. She's not smiling anymore. "I actually had some kids try and suffocate me once when I was little. I'm not sure if they realized what they were doing, really, but they found it funny all the same. That's when I was four. The next passing year got worse from then on, but that's something I don't really wanna talk about right now, if you don't mind." Her voice is almost a whisper, but I hear a hint of anger behind her words.

"N-no, it's fine, you can say what you want." I say quickly.

She looks up at me again, eyes wide, and then she smiles again. "Thanks."

I shrug in reply.

"Well, as I was saying before, I kept it a secret from my family. For some reason, I felt it was better to let them continue hitting me instead of having them punished for doing so. I guess… I was afraid of being alone, and having them taken from me. I suppose I found it better to pretend that I was fine. So, I never complained much about pain. I covered up bruises as best as I could, or came up with excuses. At one point, years later, I finally snapped, and people began avoiding me altogether. Turns out that I would have rage-induced black-outs. I'd often end up hurting whoever I was angry with at the time, kinda like your youkai, actually," I suck in a breath at that. "Except I didn't actually _kill_ them."

She moves to stand and turns slightly, a far away look in her eyes, hands folded behind her back.

"I was so angry as a child... I was too aware of the world, and of the needless hatred people possessed. My family would often call me an 'old soul', or 'wise'. _Mature_. In reality, I just hated everything. Everyone; myself and my family included. Of course, now that I'm out of that point in my life, I know I didn't really hate them. My parents can treat me badly, too, like any person can, but hey, what can I do?"

"What do you mean they treat you badly? Your own family?" I interrupt her in an exasperated tone.

She looks at me again. "Well, they're only human. Sometimes, anger gets the best of them, or they become… Overly strict. They have a habit of wanting to control me. It could be worse, though. They _could_ know about my… Secret." She looks away, blushing.

My ears perk at that. "Secret?" _Why is she blushing? What kinda secret?_

She suddenly looks at me with a worried look on her face. "If… If I told you… You wouldn't think I was a freak, would you?"

Now _that_ sentence leaves me overly confused. "A freak? Why would I? I mean, sure, you're weird, with the way you think and all, but honestly, what kinda secret would make me think you're a _freak_? I'm just as strange as you are, at least, _physically_."

She giggles at that, and I notice the tension leave her broad form. "Thanks, I needed that." I wait for her to continue, and she looks down, blushing again. She starts running her fingers through her hair. "So, um… You know how women and men… _Like_ each other, right?"

I start to blush, worrying about what she could possibly say next that would have to do with _romance_. "Course. Why?"

Her blush deepens. "W-well, I… Uh…" She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "I like women _and_ men in that way."

 _Oh._ _ **Oh**_ _. Is that all? It's not the first I've heard of something like that, but it's usually… Older men and… Ugh, I don't want to finish that thought. A woman, though? That's a first._

"Oh." Is all I can bring myself to say.

"Yeah… In my world, in many locations, people who feel the way I do are liable for execution. Even in my homeland, people will often hunt people like me down, to either ruin our lives or kill us, to 'cleanse' the world of our 'impurity'." _Well, damn, that hits close to home._ She sighs and continues. "My parents… Well, my mom isn't really like _that_ , nor is my dad, but they do believe that the way I feel is sinful, impure, wrong, so on and so forth. I truly fear the day they find out about it." Her voice lowers to a whisper. "I don't want them to hate me."

A long silence stretches between us.

 _Say something, damn it! If she starts crying or some shit, I swear…_

"Hey… Moriko." I mutter, slowly walking up to her.

She looks up at me slowly. "Yeah?"

I think over my words for a moment, looking her in the eye. My words decided, I sigh.

"Look, I don't think you're a freak, and while your family may disagree with it, I don't think they could hate you," I say softly. "I mean, how could they? You seem too kind of a person to hate. Those kids were just too stupid to see it, so don't worry about it. Like you said, they're only human."

* * *

 **Moriko**

 _Thank_ _ **God**_ _._

I can't help my grateful smile, or the happy tears pooling into my eyes. _Shit, I'm crying. He hates crying, but damn, I can't help it!_

He looks panicked when my tears start rushing down my cheeks. "Really?" I whisper hopefully.

"Y-yeah, really, but wench, why're you crying?" He starts gently waving his hands in front of him. "I-it's not that weird of a thing, I guess, I mean, it's not the first I've heard of it, but— w-well, yeah. There's no reason to cry!"

I give a small laugh, and without even thinking, I step towards him and pull him into a hug, my neck bending for my forehead to rest on his shoulder.

I don't like physical touch. And I don't like giving or receiving hugs usually. But that rush of relief was too much for me to not act upon.

He freezes, arms in midair. I obviously don't expect a hug back, for I know he doesn't like physical touch any more than I do.

"Thank you! Thank you _so much_." I sob into his suikan. _God, I probably look so stupid. Stop crying, damn it! He's probably freaking out right now!_

I try to stifle my tears and breathe. "I-I'm sorry. That just m-made me really happy." I sniffle.

He relaxes slightly. "Happy? You're _happy_?"

"Yeah, _really_ happy… For accepting me." I murmur into his fire-rat. _Oh man, I got it wet. Nice going, Moriko._

Suddenly, I feel a hesitant hand on the back of my head. "O-oi, wench, if you're happy, then why are you crying? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

I giggle and start to release him from his hug. He drops his arm from my head faster than lightning, gluing them both to his sides. I rub my eyes and cheeks. "I should probably warn you now that I'm a happy crier. Sure, I may cry if something hurts a lot, or if I'm terrified, but I mainly cry when I'm happy. So, unless I say otherwise, don't worry about me crying, okay?"

"O-oh. I see. O-okay." He stutters.

"Oh, and Inuyasha?" I finish wiping the dampness from my face.

"Yeah?" His ears perk up.

I look at him again. "Thanks for being such a great friend." I whisper with a small smile.

His face instantly flushes, his eyes darting left and right, and he spins on his heel and moves back towards the tree. "N-no need to get all sentimental! I was just tellin' the truth!"

I laugh at that. "Well, that makes it even better!"

He doesn't reply, but turns to sit at the base of the tree, his eyes closed, and arms stuck in his sleeves. The moon shines on his flushed face. _So cute._

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Inuyasha-sama?" An old voice meets my ears.

Inuyasha's eyes snap open. He looks down at his knee. "M-myoga?!" He shrieks.

"Aye, my Lord! I have come with troublesome news." He says quickly.

"How long were you there?!" Inuyasha ignores him.

"Oh, no need to worry, Inuyasha-sama. I was here only when she thanked you for being a 'great friend'. Ha! That's a statement, if any!" He laughs. Inuyasha smashes him against his knee.

I laugh, and he shoots me a glare. "Sorry, sorry! Your reaction was amusing."

"Heh, _sure_ it was." He growls. I walk over and plop down in front of him.

"Inuyasha-sama! Please! Listen!" Myoga jumps back and forth on his knees.

"Myoga, let me explain, since you're not really sure what you're talking about." He stops and turns to look at me.

"Excuse me, young lady, but how in the world would _you_ know what I'm about to tell you?!" He flails his arms angrily.

"Shut it, Myoga. She's a seer. She knows a bunch of shit." Inuyasha says gruffly, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, Myoga, I didn't mean to be rude, but I knew _exactly_ what you were going to say, and it isn't very helpful. I can explain it, though, no need to worry about anything. We've got this." I reassure him, and I bow my head slightly.

From his voice, it sounds as though he's flustered. "O-oh, no need to apologize, on'na-sama! Please, the pleasure is all mine!"

Inuyasha scoffs. "Kiss up."

I giggle. "It's nice to meet you too, Myoga. My name is Moriko. I'm a miko from another world, and Inuyasha's new friend." Inuyasha snaps his head up and looks away just as fast at my last few words.

"Oh! Oh, a _miko_! How ironic!"

He yelps as Inuyasha smashes him again.

"Another word, Myoga, and you'll never be allowed to have a meal from me _again_." He seethes.

"Forgive me, Inuyasha-sama! I'll remain silent! Now, Moriko-sama, please, you were saying?" He sits down on Inuyasha's knee, his words rushing out of his… 'Mouth'.

"Since you're here, Myoga, I'm guessing Sesshomaru isn't far behind." I start.

They both visibly jolt. "Sesshomaru?!" Inuyasha shouts.

"Calm down you two! No need to worry about anything. He's looking for Tessaiga, your father's sword. It's supposed to be for you, Inuyasha, but Sesshomaru wants it instead of his own sword because he finds it 'useless'. The bastard doesn't realize just how amazing Tenseiga is, sadly. He will find out not too far in the future, and he will, at some point, become our ally, but right now, he really is going to try and kill us both." I pause.

"Wait, _wait_. _Sesshomaru_ becomes our _ally_?" Inuyasha repeats, dumbfounded.

"Yep! And he actually becomes a much better person. Right _now_ , though, he's still an ass. He doesn't improve until he meets a _special_ little someone." I murmur the last part. "Anyways, I know where your father's tomb is, and we're going there tonight, it seems."

An odd uneasiness thickly washes over me suddenly. "What's that feeling?" I whisper.

"A massive aura," Inuyasha growls and jumps to a stance. Myoga goes flying, and I catch him in my palms. "Think it's Sesshomaru?"

"Yeah, but listen, he has a trap set," I explain quickly. "There's going to be a flying carriage, and a woman is going to be inside. I tell you now, you don't have to hurt her, she's harmless. She's called the Mu-on'na, and Jaken had her take the form of your mother so you would let your guard down. Now, don't be angry with her. She wound up giving her life for you later." I finish.

"Well, damn." He mutters, then he growls. "That's a _nasty_ trick, the bastard."

"Like I said, still an ass." I sigh. I look down at Myoga. "Myoga, mind staying with us? I promise you won't get hurt if you stick with me."

"While I appreciate the offer, Moriko-sama, I really think I should—" He starts.

My voice drops into monotone as I interject him mid-sentence. "It wasn't an _offer_ , Myoga."

"O-oh, of course! I do not mind at _all_ , Moriko-sama. Please, lead the way!" He laughs nervously.

I nod and look up towards the moon. "See the carriage yet?"

"Not yet, but that aura sure is close." Inuyasha replies.

"If you want, I can do the talking. I'm pretty sure he's the only one who knows how to take out the Black Pearl."

"The what?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"It's a portal to your father's grave in something akin to the spirit world." I answer.

"Where is it?"

"In your right pupil…" I chuckle nervously.

"In my _eye_?!" He shouts.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

 _She's joking, right? No, she doesn't joke around like that. Oh shit, it's in my_ _ **eye**_ _._

"And Sesshomaru has to take it out?! How?!" My volume continues to rise.

"Honestly, either he's gonna use some weird power to pull it out of your eye, or he's gonna rip it out. Either way, it'll hurt… _But_ it'll heal!" She adds quickly.

"Oh _great_ , so I have to _let_ him hurt me? This doesn't sound like a very fun plan, Moriko." I argue.

"Well, sorry! It's the only way to get Tessaiga!" She retorts.

"Fine, fine, but if I go blind, I blame you." I mutter.

"Hey, I'm _already_ blind in my _left_ eye, you're _lucky_ you can heal as great as you can, ya jerk!"

"Moriko-sama, I do not think now is the time for conversation." Myoga intervenes.

"Yeah, _Moriko-sama._ Focus on the _mission_." I snicker.

She shoots me a glare, which only makes me chuckle harder.

Suddenly, a shadow passes overhead. We all look up towards the moon as the clouds part. _There it is!_

"Well, we found it." I mumble.

"Inuyasha!"

My chest tightens. _She really does sound like Mother… But she isn't. She's just mimicking._

A swirl of clouds appears above the flying carriage as a bunch of imps scurry away. A giant, clawed hand reaches out and grabs the carriage, crushing it with its palm; my mother's copy the only thing residing within its grasp.

The enormous beast reveals itself, towering over us. The wind picks up speed from the dark aura.

"Damn, I never realized just how huge that fucker was…" I overhear Moriko mutter in disbelief.

"What do we do now?" I call over the wind.

"We wait for him to come to us, I guess." She jogs up next to me. "He should be on its left shoulder, and Jaken is on its bicep, I can't really see anything with this shadow, though."

"It's fine, I can see them."

I noticed them just before she pointed out their locations. _Bastards bastards bastards bastards!_

I cross my arms and yell loud and clear, "Oi, Sesshomaru! Get your ass down here for a _friendly_ chat! We know what you're here for!"

Moriko giggles and whispers, "A _friendly_ chat, you say?"

I answer her with a quick curse as I grab her and dodge the oncoming barrage of flames. I land further to the right of the youkai, away from the arm the green imp is standing on. Moriko lets out a breath I didn't even realize she was holding. "Thanks for that." She sighs in relief.

"Keh."

An annoyed, and must I say _annoying_ , screech echoes down to our new spot. It's the green bastard. "You little abomination! Stand still, damn you! Filthy half-breed! Stupid ha-!"

Moriko bristled at his first insult. "Jaken, shut your ass before I go up there and shut it for you! Sesshomaru, get down here! _I'm_ the only one who knows where Tessaiga is! _And_ we know that she isn't Izayoi, so cut the crap!"

 _Well, shit. That'll get his attention._

"Idiot! He'll kill you!" I shake her shoulders.

"No, he won't, because he _needs_ me." She smirks.

"Inuyasha, I would think that you've dealt with mortal women enough. A taste from Father, I assume?" Sesshomaru lands in front of the youkai, but still a fair distance away from us.

"Enough talk! At least this ' _mortal woman_ ' knows what you're looking for!" Moriko moves to stand slightly in front of me. _Does this 'mortal woman' fear anything other than needles? — damn!_ "Tessaiga. The fang of your father, and Inuyasha's inheritance! 'Seeing, yet never seen. Protected, yet never known to its protector.' I know where it is, so if you want to try and get it, then be my guest, but you've gotta listen to me first!"

He scowls. "Do not address me in such a way, girl! And how could you possibly know of my father's fang? I doubt his own vassal knows of its location, much less a young _mortal_."

The idiot next to me scoffs. "I know more than you think! I know how he died, I know how long ago it was, and I know he gave you Tenseiga, even though you only wanted So'unga and Tessaiga. I know about his fight with Ryukotsusei and the claw that keeps him dormant. I know what your mother looks like, and I know what your father looked like. I also know about Jaken's plan to use the Mu-on'na to try and find the Black Pearl, but trust me, you don't need her. _I_ know where it is. Any more questions?"

Never in my life have I _ever_ seen a look of surprise on Sesshomaru's face, and boy is it a _wonderful_ sight. Sesshomaru notices my smug look, and immediately his apathetic demeanor returns.

"Fine then. I won't ask how you know of such things, and I won't decline your knowledge of the Black Pearl. Now, tell me where it is, girl."

She huffs and crosses her arms. "First, you have to swear to take us with you _and_ to not kill us. You two end up fighting, and I'd rather be on your good side by preventing a dreaded outcome of it."

He raises an eyebrow. "I have no time for such promises."

"Well, unless you want to wind up with part of your body missing, I'd recommend promising anyway. If not, then be my guest." She cocks her hip and waits silently.

He considers her for a moment, then gives her a _creepy ass_ smile. "Very well, then. I _promise_." The word hangs in the air for a moment, then Moriko sighs.

"It's in his right pupil." She says softly. His gaze snaps to meet my own.

 _Oh great, here comes the pain_. I give a tiny gulp. _Bear it._

"In his eye, you say?" He gives me a small smirk. _Motherfucker._ "And just how exactly is it supposed to come out?"

She clears her throat and glances back at me with an apologetic look. I shrug. _No turning back now_.

She nods and turns back to him. "Either it needs to be extracted by some kind of magical power, or it needs to be ripped out by hand."

His grin widens, and he raises up two claws. "I'll gladly contribute to its extraction. Would you like that, little brother?"

 _I'm gonna fuckin' die._

I sigh and walk right up to him. He seems surprised by this, but says nothing. I cross my arms.

"Make it quick, bastard."

I yelp as I feel a tight grip around my throat. "I'm surprised that you're so willing, but I won't turn down a chance to see you writhe." He holds up two claws again. "Let's visit Father, shall we?"

One could truly say they'd rather have their eyes gouged out instead of seeing something disgusting or to do something awful.

I will never use that exaggeration ever again. Maybe I'll say I'd rather break my hand? Because having your eye stabbed through is fucking _excruciating._ A ragged cry escapes my throat as his claws exit my socket.

He tosses me away from him. My eyes are scrunched closed, so I'm not sure where I landed.

I suddenly feel a slight weight on my chest, and the scent of tears once again reaches my nose. I force my left eye open and focus on the face of a teary eyed Moriko, her hands resting on my chest and clutching my suikan.

" _And no, I_ _ **don't**_ _care if your youkai healing heals you overnight, it's not fun to see you hurt!"_

I slightly laugh at the memory as a few drops fall onto my face. _She's crying for me…_

 _Only Mother ever did that._

* * *

I WANT TO FUCKING DIE


	6. Enter Sesshomaru- part 2!

I have RETURNED

I honestly do not think this rewrite is as good as the original chapter I had, but I hope you all love it nonetheless!

Disclaimer: Takahashi probably had a much easier time with this.

Also, just an FYI, I have a DeviantArt and a Tumblr account (username: MorikoTheHalfAngel), and I often have corresponding art for scenes from the story (plus just fanart in general). On Tumblr, go to my page and look at the "my art" tag or the "Inuyasha" tag. On DeviantArt, I have a folder solely dedicated to Inuyasha.

Another also! Thank you all SO MUCH for the compliments! It makes my heart soar! It makes me cry tears of joy! Giddiness aside, let's return to the story! Enjoy!

(FYI, if you do not remember what Inuyasha's thoughts were at this opening scene, go to the end of the previous chapter!)

* * *

Chapter 5- Part 2: Enter Sesshomaru, the Pompous Asshole!

 **Moriko**

I flinch when Sesshomaru grabs him, his shout of surprise sounding human enough, but as a dog-like yelp leaves his throat, tears spring from my eyes for the second time today. Along with the _squelch_ from his eye as Sesshomaru removes his fingers, his name escapes my throat in a scream. He's tossed not too far from my feet, and I rush to kneel beside him. He slowly opens his good eye as I lean over him, and he gives me a small smile. Some of my tears fall onto his cheek. For some reason, a soft laugh escapes his lips.

"Keh, don't worry about me, wench. You said it'd heal, right?" He smirks, despite the blood slowly seeping from his eye.

I can't help but smile back. "Even after having your eye ripped out, you _still_ manage to act like a cocky bastard, ya jerk." I whisper, my throat tight. "I still don't like seeing you hurt, though."

"Tch, I said I'll be fine, it hardly even hurts anymore." He grimaces as he tries to open his right eye.

"Jaken. The staff."

I turn my head towards the daiyoukai not far from where we lie. Jaken runs to give him the staff. I notice the Mu-on'na further behind them. She's staring at us, concern plastered over her features.

 _That's right… She still has a mother's heart… She must be worried for him._

My thoughts are interrupted as a horrifying cackle fills the air around us. I grip Inuyasha's fire-rat as the Pearl disappears, a portal appearing a few feet away. _It's like a black hole!_

I move to help Inuyasha stand as Sesshomaru steps through the portal, Jaken holding tight to his mokomoko. "Come on, time to go!"

"Alright, alright! I'm moving!" He gripes. Myoga jumps from my shoulder onto Inuyasha's.

"Inuyasha-sama, is your eye alright? That could be quite the hindrance if Sesshomaru-sama decides to squabble!" He hops up and down in a panic, but his voice sounds calm.

"Yeah, yeah, it's already healing, see?"

Sure enough, he pries his right eye open, and while it appears _extremely_ bloodshot, and the gold greatly discolored, the muscle has already stitched itself together in only a few minutes.

"That's amazing! I'm guessing it healed so quickly because it was a smaller wound." I mutter to myself as I practically drag him to the portal.

We jump in together as he scoffs. "Tch, _obviously_. This is a _scratch_ compared to most wounds I've had."

"Yeah, yeah, tough guy. Either way, I'm glad that you're alright." I laugh softly as he huffs under his breath, and I hold onto his left side. He tries to let me go, but I grip him tighter.

"Uh, wench? Why you grabbin' me like that?" He moves to push me away again, but I squeak and wrap my arms and legs around his side completely.

"Sorry, but we're about to plummet to the Earth before a flying… _Thing_ catches us! And I'm not letting go until my feet touch solid ground!" I whine, unable to contain my fear.

"O-oh, well, uh, hold on tight then." He stutters, and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. _Sorry to make you uncomfortable but I'd rather not fall to my death!_

We reach the end of the tunnel too soon for my liking. A bright sky greets us, along with the oh so _wonderful_ pull of gravity.

I practically mold myself to him as we fall a good twenty feet before a flier catches us. I sigh in relief and loosen my strong hold, when I suddenly realize that my current carrier is loudly snarling in a very _canine_ manner. I look over to see him glaring at me, his ears pinned back, and his face scrunched in a grimace.

"Next time, try not to _scream_ so fucking loudly, bitch!" He hisses through his teeth.

I gasp. _I didn't even realize!_ "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize I was screaming…" I keep my voice low, as to not make his ears feel worse.

"That doesn't make them hurt any less, damn it." His face eases up slowly, his ears popping back up and twitching rapidly.

"I know, I just…" I look down as I'm plagued with guilt, and I am suddenly reminded that we are hundreds of feet in the air. The youkai's body is almost completely bone, its ribs giving a _lovely_ view of what could be a gravity induced _death_. My breath hitches as my head shoots back up, and I immediately pull myself to him again, wrapping my limbs around his side. _God, I feel like a damn koala._ "W-w-we're so h-high up!" I squeal in terror.

He tenses, then sighs, re-wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry, we're not gonna fall." I look up at his face again, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he looks towards our destination. "I guess you really are scared of heights…" He mutters.

I nod against his shoulder, and my eyes remain locked onto his gaze. _His eye is almost completely healed... Ah, Moriko! Focus on the task at hand!_ I look in the direction he is. "Man, your father really _is_ huge," He grunts in agreement. I continue. "So, when we get in there, Sesshomaru is likely going to be pissed to realize that he can't touch Tessaiga due to its barrier. We should tread lightly."

"Tessaiga has a barrier?" Myoga jumps in right then. _I forgot he was even here…_

"Yes, it does. It chooses its owner, and only lets the wielder, other than humans, resist the barrier. Humans don't react to the barrier since they don't have youkai blood." I explain.

"And it won't reject me?" Inuyasha asks.

"Of course not! It's _meant_ for you, and you alone. It won't reject you as long as you stay true to your emotions. It works for you _because_ you are part human, so don't shut your thoughts and feelings away. It will choose to remain dormant if you do so."

His brows are furrowed in thought, then he nods. "Alright, then."

"Besides, there's a spell—" I flinch as darkness falls over us, the cavernous maw of his father's dog form swallowing our small forms. _I feel so puny._

We descend the throat and enter the body cavity, light emitting from the platform at its back. Sesshomaru stands a few feet away, his hand visibly smoking. Jaken is babbling in shock and running around in panicky circles. My breath hitches once again as Inuyasha holds me tighter and jumps from the youkai. We land not too far from his bastard of a brother, and I finally separate myself from his body. _Praise the Lord! Solid ground!_

I begin walking towards the stand where Tessaiga rests, but my gaze rests on the apathetic inu-youkai to my right. "So, as you can see Sesshomaru, you are unable to wield Tessaiga. Its barrier prevents you and most other youkai from doing so."

Myoga's voice extends from Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha, go and retrieve Tessaiga! Quickly!"

"That won't be necessary, Myoga." I cut in. I step onto the platform and move to stand to the left of Tessaiga, facing the four males before me. Inuyasha followed me apparently, for he's much closer to the stand than we were before, and in turn closer to Sesshomaru and Jaken.

"Why not?!" He shrieks. "Doesn't he have to break the spell to wield it?"

"No, because he is not able to break the spell," I reply calmly. I rest my right hand on the fang's hilt. "Which means he is not able to remove it."

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

"What the fuck do you _mean_ I can't break the spell?!" _This bitch confuses the Hell outta me!_ "I thought I was its rightful owner?!"

"You _are_ its rightful owner, now calm down and let me explain just what exactly this fang is and how it works." She replies sternly, but she has a grin on her face despite her tone.

I growl low and cross my arms. "Well, it better be a damn good explanation, wench!"

Her grin shifts to an amused smirk. "Fine, fine. But first, I'll start with his other two blades, just so you can understand _this_ ," She waves her left hand towards Tessaiga. "One just as well. Let's start with Tenseiga," She now motions towards Sesshomaru's hip. "The katana given to Sesshomaru as his inheritance. Tenseiga is a blade derived from Tessaiga. It is the Fang of Heaven, and it heals mortal wounds, revives life, and saves lost souls. It does have its limits, though. Once it has been used on someone, it cannot be used on them again. This blade is what revived Izayoi from her deathbed on the night of Inuyasha's birth." I gasp at that.

"She _died_?" I whisper. She glances at me and nods.

"A samurai stabbed her for bearing the child of a youkai. Your mother lived for a while longer, and managed to give birth to you, but blood-loss soon stole her life as she held you in her arms." _Damn, I caused her death even before I left the womb?! How did she ever even_ _ **want**_ _to hold me close after that?_ I sigh. _I miss her._ "Your father came and revived her, though, and you both were safe, at the time." She looks back at Sesshomaru, and her expression turns serious. "Now, the Fang of _Hell_ , on the other hand, So'unga, is the exact opposite. It contains the soul of a dragon, and it damns those slain by it to Hell. It turns those fallen by it into the living dead, and it is almost utterly _impossible_ to control. For years, it wreaked havoc across the world, taking control of youkai and humans alike, until your father came upon it. He just so happened to be powerful enough to wield it, thank goodness, but once he was slain, the blade had no owner, and it was agreed that it would be spellbound by its sheath from then on."

She pauses and turns towards the fang resting under her hand. She softly smiles, and speaks in a light voice, "Now, Tessaiga, the Fang of the Earth, of our _world_ , is a blade meant for _protection_. Protecting those you _care_ about. Tell me, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Jaken, and Myoga," She turns towards us again. " _Who_ exactly did our late Inu no Taisho care so deeply for?"

"My mother." I answer proudly.

"A mortal." Sesshomaru answers coolly. I turn to glare at him. _If he says any shit about my mother I swear I'll—_

"Indeed. His beloved Izayoi. He had this fang forged _specifically_ to protect her. A _human_. A person he _cared_ for. So, obviously, whoever wields Tessaiga _must_ have a human to _protect_ , do they not?"

 _Holy shit._ My eyes widen at the realization. _That's why I can't break the spell…_

She notices my shocked expression and smiles wider. "Yup, it's exactly what you're thinking! Since your father is not here to hand it to you _personally_ , he had to come up with a way to prevent you from wielding it if your heart happened to be in a dark place. If you had no care for the lives of others, what good would this fang be to you other than to make you powerful and _deadly_? So, since he can't just take your word for it, he would have to have _proof_ that you had a human for a friend, a friend under _your_ protection. And how can that proof be given?" She then shifts her hand to grip the hilt and easily pulls it out of the platform. "By having your human friend bring it to you, of course!" She's grinning proudly, holding Tessaiga over her shoulder, her left hand resting on her cocked hip.

I can't help but give her a smug grin in return, and my gaze moves towards Sesshomaru. Within seconds, his look of shock quickly turns into a furious scowl. _Shit!_ Before I even get the chance to move, a vicious snarl tears his throat as he leaps towards Moriko, claws extended and glowing green. _SHIT!_

I didn't see it coming. Nor did any of us see her _next_ plan coming.

She extends Tessaiga in front of her horizontally, and before Sesshomaru even gets the chance to land, he's zapped and thrown far back away from us. _Thank Kami she remembered the barrier…_

I jump and land next to her. She turns to me and offers the dull and rusted blade. "Remember, be true to your emotions. Don't try to bury your thoughts. Let them flow, and Tessaiga will _never_ fail you." She whispers softly.

I nod as I take it from her hold, and immediately I feel… _Something_ emitting from Tessaiga.

Moriko had left my side for a moment, and she now hands me a sheath that was resting on a podium behind the platform. I nod my thanks and slip it through the slit in my hakama, sheathing Tessaiga afterwards.

"Now, let's get out of here before he turns into his dog form. His acidic fumes make you numb and dizzy, so it'd be best to leave before he tries to take us down." She's looking towards where Sesshomaru landed, and I follow her gaze. _Damn._ He's growling, his eyes glowing red, and his youki massively spiking. "Too late…" She groans.

A massive gust of wind starts to pick up the skulls resting around his feet, and his white— _whatever_ it's called— wraps around him, his face morphing into the shape of a snout. In a burst of light and wind, we both look up to see a giant white dog now towering over us.

We both groan in unison, "Ah _shit_."

We don't get the chance to comment on our shared words, though. Sesshomaru leaps up, intending to land at our current spot. I grab Moriko and dart away at maximum speed, holding her head tightly to my chest to prevent it from whipping back. I heed her warning and leap towards my old man's throat. _I won't be able to make this in one jump!_

Midleap, I move her from my side to my chest and push her face into the crook of my neck. "Hold onto me! _Tight_!"

She quickly wraps her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my hips just as I land— _hard_ — onto a vine-woven rib. My claws from both my hands and feet penetrate the bone and green in a vice grip. I'm about to leap again when she shrieks, "Dodge left!"

I obey on instinct, springing to the left of where Sesshomaru's jaws are now locked. _Too close!_

I change my course midair, going up once more. I land at the base of the throat and run full speed towards the light of day, my arms returning to Moriko's tense form. Somehow, she held me hard enough to not jolt around much, also while managing to not choke me in the process. _Thank goodness._

Once we reach the entrance of the mouth, I leap to flatter ground around the neck and shoulder.

"Careful! He's probably gonna bre—" Her warning is interrupted by a deafening explosion of armor and bone at my father's shoulder. "That." She finishes in monotone.

I nod curtly and turn towards my current opponent, swiftly drawing Tessaiga from its sheath. "Stay back, I don't want you getting in the middle of this."

She hums an affirmative and pumps a single fist in the air. "Kick his ass!" She shouts, then she falters. "But don't kill him, please."

I sigh in exasperation. " _Fine_."

Acidic saliva pools at his feet, scorching the armor below him. He barks a taunt, and I snarl in return as I saunter towards him. "Fuck off, ya bastard!" He growls a reply and I point Tessaiga at him. "You're gonna regret pulling all this crap!"

"You got this, Inuyasha!" I hear Moriko cheer behind me, and I realize just how screwed we would be if I fuck this up. _No. I can't fuck this up. I_ _ **won't**_ _fuck this up! Not with her in danger like this. Not with my_ _ **friend**_ _in danger like this._ My heart warms at the thought. _She really is my friend, isn't she?_

Determination fills me as I grip Tessaiga tighter in my hands. _I'm not going to lose a friend that I just made. I'm winning this, whether he likes it or not, damn it!_

A pulse. I glance down at Tessaiga, and Moriko's words return to me in a single wave. _Emotions and thoughts, huh?_ I grin. _Well, that's good, I was planning on protecting her anyway, with or_ without _Tessaiga._

Another pulse, stronger this time. A thought runs through my head, though it doesn't feel like my own, nor is it in words. More like a feeling. _Now!_

And I listen.

I take a running start towards Sesshomaru as he squats to leap. We spring at the same time. I swing Tessaiga in an upwards arc, his jaws barely grazing me as I dodge right; a glow emits from the fang, and I hit _something_. The scent of blood pours into my nose as I finish my swing, and I dislodge the blade by bringing it to the left and down.

It was his arm.

That's what I hit.

That's what… _Tessaiga_ hit. _Damn_. _It really_ does _look like a fang!_ I hold the blade up and inspect it after I land a good distance from Sesshomaru's fallen form. It's longer and much _much_ thicker than before. The color changed from a chipped, dull gray to a reflective, bony white, and silver fur surrounds the base where the blade and hilt meet. Youki practically _gushes_ from it, making me feel far more energetic than before.

Sesshomaru starts to move, and I jump into a fighting stance again, Tessaiga at the ready. He slowly stands on his three remaining limbs, blood seeping from his stump like a river from the shift in gravity. Just as I move to jump forward and swing, he collapses in a huge pool of his blood, the red staining his silver fur. _He went down… A **lot** easier than I expected... _

Somehow, at the thought of wanting to sheath Tessaiga, it transforms back into its dormant state. "Cool." I grin.

I turn to see the amusing sight of Moriko whacking Jaken with his staff repeatedly. "Stop this— ow!— you stupid— ack!— girl!"

"Don't try to burn me to a crisp then, you stupid imp!" She yells back.

I chuckle at the sight. _Apparently, I'm not the only one kicking ass._ "Yo, Moriko!"

She stops hitting him and turns to me. She smiles and runs towards me, staff still in hand, a beat-up toad groaning at her previous spot. "See! I knew you could do it! And Myoga thought I was crazy." She stops in front of me, her grin suddenly disappearing as she looks over my shoulder. "Oh dear…"

I glance back, noticing he's returned to his human-like state, but he remains unconscious. "What's up? He ain't movin'."

"Yeah, but he was supposed to carry _himself_ back through the portal. I guess we'll bring him with us, then." She rubs her chin as I stare at her in confusion.

"The Hell you mean? You mean after he just tried to kill us both, we're going to _save_ his ass?!"

She looks up, her expression unchanging. "Uh, yeah. _Duh_. He's just as important as we are in the fight against Naraku."

I grumble to myself, "I'm sure we could do just fine without him, wench."

"Inu _yasha_." I flinch at her tone. "If you're not going to go get him, then I will. Myoga should be back soon with our ride home." I grab her arm as she moves to walk past me.

"Idiot! He's lying in a pool of his own blood and poison." I jerk her back with a huff. " _I'll_ get him. Your flesh would melt off in seconds!"

Before she can say anything, I jump and land in the puddle next to his still body. Luckily, his blood diluted most of his saliva, so the fumes aren't as potent, the acid barely stinging my bare feet. I pick him up and sling him over my shoulder. I quickly walk back to Moriko, and I notice two of the bird youkai perched nearby, waiting for their riders.

She's talking to Jaken, calm but firm, Myoga resting upon her right shoulder. "— patch up in no time. It'll probably take him less than a day for it to completely heal, but you have to remember that I _told_ him this would happen, and he did not heed my warning. He brought this upon himself." She turns towards me at my approach and nods towards a youkai. "Go ahead. I'll ride with Jaken."

I pause and glance at her warily. "Uh, won't you be scared?" I question.

She sighs, "Yeah, I will. But _I_ obviously can't carry him through the portal. I can toss Jaken in, though," She continues, ignoring his whining negative. "We'll wait till he's conscious before we leave him, understood?" As she finishes, she hands Jaken his staff. He accepts it with a look of disbelief at her show of trust. _Me too, imp. Me too._ "Come on, we gotta move before it closes."

We don't argue, though I feel uneasy about her order to remain by his side. _Won't he kill us at a single chance?_

* * *

We return to our world within minutes, and surprisingly, with great ease. I look up as the portal swirls to move above us, condensing into the Black Pearl once again. It lowers itself back into my eye, though it doesn't feel any different than before. I lay Sesshomaru at the base of the tree we originally resided at before our little trip to the Netherworld.

Moriko walks past him to sit cross-legged at the roots of the tree, fairly close to his motionless body. "Inuyasha, can you bring me a damp wash-cloth, please? I'm sure Kaede has plenty."

"Uh, _why_?"

"To clean him up, of course. He's covered in blood and acid, by God! Sure, he's a total ass, but that doesn't mean I want to drop him like a rock and leave him festering! Have a little trust in me, will ya?" Her voice is slightly raised, but her look is pleading, her voice soothing. "I know he'll heal quick, but it'd still be better for him to be washed up."

I roll my eyes. "I'll never know why I listen to you…"

After retrieving the damp cloth, I leap into the branches of the tree, settling down to wait for the bastard to wake up. Moriko pulls up his sleeve and rinses the wound, having a repeated conversation with Jaken as he sits on the other side of Sesshomaru, babbling in worry. _I hope you know what you're doing, Moriko._

* * *

 **Sesshomaru**

I slowly awake to be greeted by a barrage of scents. My blood. My poison. Jaken. A human. A hanyou.

The soreness on the left side of my body makes me groan slightly. A sudden shifting on my left catches my attention, and my eyes snap open to meet the concerned face of a human girl leaning over me. _Too close!_

I snarl ferociously as I shoot up and move to shove myself back, but due to dizziness and the lack of support on my left side, I instead land on the ground, pain shooting through my shoulder, and I groan again.

"Careful! The wound only just finished closing. That's probably why you woke up."

At the sound of her voice, the night's previous happenings return to me. _Right. Inuyasha's human._

I sit up, slower this time, and glance over at my empty sleeve. Jaken rambles behind me, but my focus is on the girl in front of me.

At her feet lies a reddened cloth. Red with what I assume to be my blood, seeing as my clothes are stained, but my face, armor, and shoulder are clean.

"I tried to warn you, you know. But you didn't listen. And look! Exactly what I said would happen _happened_. Next time, heed my words. I was hoping I could prevent this from happening." Her concern has left, only to be replaced with annoyance. "So, all I could really do was bring you back to safety."

A question enters my mind at an instant. _Why?_

"Well," She continues. _Did I say that aloud?_ "I don't want you _dead_. You are just as important as we are. You're needed in the future, and I want things to be kept just right. Honestly, I doubt much would change if you had kept your arm, which is why I tried to go about preventing the loss," She huffs and crosses her arms as she stands. "Waste of time, I guess."

Inuyasha then hops down beside her as she bends to pick up the cloth at her feet. She speaks up again, "Try not to kill us next time. It'd be best if you just avoided fighting us altogether, really; though I doubt you'll listen, considering something you two share is your stubborn nature." She turns and motions for Inuyasha to follow, his face matching my own scowl at her comparison. "By the way, avoid Naraku. He just ends up double-crossing you. Bye now!"

And with that, she turns her back on me. She _turns her back_ on me. Inuyasha at first seems hesitant, glancing at me warily, and then follows behind her, his ears pinned back to listen for my approach, but not looking for himself. He fought the instinct to never turn your back on an enemy, and instead followed the action of a mortal girl. _Only he would so blindly trust a human woman._

I stand, my sleeve falling and billowing in the breeze. Jaken's speaking, but I'm not listening.

Is it foolishness? Possibly. Stupidity? No, she knew what she was doing. Her words were rehearsed, and her movements calculated. I growl. _She knew_ _ **exactly**_ _what turning her back meant._

She was confident I would not follow, or is it that she does not see me as an enemy? Another possibility, considering Jaken's staff has her scent on it, at the handle, his own at the tip. She must have hit him with it, and yet, she gave it back. She trusted him? I'm sure he tried to burn her alive, but she returned it to him.

I scoff and turn to enter the forest at the edge of their village.

I tried to kill them, as well. Yet, she brought me here, likely having to convince Inuyasha to do so for her, for the half-breed's scent resides on my chest. She cleaned my wound and washed my face of my blood and poison.

Humans often have the scent of fear just from looking at me. But she…

Even after my threatening growl, often meant to terrify others into submission, she moved nearer to me, her hand reaching out as though to catch me, her voice that of concern, telling me to be careful.

She held no trace of fear.

She turned her back on me without a second thought.

And Inuyasha, pinned to a tree by a human woman fifty years ago, trusted this girl more than he trusted the orders of his own innate behavior.

One word resides in my mind as I think about this female Inuyasha has found himself to be in the company of.

 _Strange..._

* * *

Next up!

Moriko visits home and- oh shit, are those police sirens?!

I may post chapter 6 this week. Be on the lookout!


	7. Author's Note

Hello everyone! I swear I'm not dead!

Though I sure do feel like it.

I've been really sick these past couple of weeks, plus having to deal with a new job and college exams, so writing has been troublesome.

In return for your patience, this next chapter is going to be over 10,000 words long to make up for my sickly absence.

I'll try and have it posted sometime this week, maybe even tonight or tomorrow, but I can't make any promises.

Also, it has come to my attention that many have not realized that Inuyasha has called Moriko by her name. He has, at this point, said her name more than ten times; I just really like the 'crude nickname' trope. In time, he'll only ever call her by her name unless he's teasing her, but for the first 30 or so chapters, he'll continue being crude, unless he's being completely serious with her.


	8. A Family and Their New Dog

Soooo I decided to go ahead and post the first roughly 5000 words of the chapter, just so I can give yall _something_! I've been so freakin busy it's killing me!

Anyway, the song in here is "Yotaka no Yume" by Do As Infinity. I did my own translation! I also made it work better with the tune of the song, so some parts of the translation may seem off.

Underlined is English.

Disclaimer: Takahashi sure as Hell knows how to make an adorable dog-boy.

Chapter 6: A Family and Their New Dog

 **Moriko's 15** **th** **Birthday**

Michael Richards is not the type of man to panic; even when his wife, Julia, calls him in hysterics. Usually, he talks her through it, comforts her, and tells her that he's sure everything will be fine. Like the day when a broken glass severed Madison's artery, and she was sent to the ER. He was calm, Hell, even his at the time 12-year-old daughter was calm— her mother, on the other hand? She was on the verge of fainting, and even though Madison nearly died from blood-loss, she was immediately stitched up and soon stable. He was calm when his youngest daughter received a concussion, and he patiently listened to the doctor's orders to make sure she was kept safe throughout the night. She was fine within a day. He was calm when his middle child nearly drowned in a large creek behind his uncle's house, and after checking that she was awake and breathing, quelled everyone's worries soon after. He was calm.

Today, he's terrified.

He was at work when she called him, and it took him quite some time to calm her down to the point of understanding her incoherent babbling.

" _Her backpack and purse are still here! She should've left for school two hours ago, and she's not there, either! I've called everyone, and I even used her phone to call some of her friends. She's not anywhere, Mike! I called the police, and I told the girls to stay in their room. Please, get here quick!"_

" _I'll be there as fast as I can."_

And he stayed true to his word. He pulled up to see two police cars in his driveway. He rushed inside within seconds to find his wife being questioned, and he, too, was soon interrogated.

They decided to look for clues. No signs of a break-in, and surely the dogs would have woken Julia up, if so— considering they bark at nearly everything they hear. They checked the entire inside of the house, not finding a single oddity. Her room was cluttered, but that was normal.

Finishing the inspection of the house, Michael plops onto the couch, silently panicking.

 _Surely, she didn't run away? That's what the police seem to think, but she left her purse, and all of her money and IDs, even her clothes._

No, she couldn't have. The dots aren't connecting.

"Well, we'll put up a missing person's report immediately. I'm sure someone has seen her recently. It's a good thing you contacted us as quick as you did, she probably isn't far." A female officer, Jones, has her hand on his wife's shoulder as they enter into the living room, trying to comfort her with her touch and words. The two other officers, Moore and Perry, follow in behind them.

"We'll get into contact with a detective, too, if that doesn't work." The younger man pipes up.

The older officer nudges him in the gut. 'Not the time', he mouths.

Michael stands to embrace his weeping wife. "Are you sure we've checked _everything_?" He asks.

"I'm sure! Where else is there?" She sobs into his chest.

A small voice echoes through the kitchen at that moment, drawing the attention of the adults. It's Kylie, their middle child, holding Lucille's hand. "Did you check outside?" She whispers shyly. She knows she's to stay in her room, but she couldn't help overhearing the grown-ups' conversation.

Immediately, Jones moves through the wide threshold connecting the living room to the kitchen. "I'll go check. What a smart girl you are!"

The child gives a gap-toothed grin, and then quickly drags her sister back into their room. Maybe their mother won't be mad at her after all?

After a few moments, the policewoman barges back through the backdoor into the kitchen. "I've got something, and it isn't good!"

The remaining adults rush to join her outside, and the three officers whirl around when they hear the couple's surprised gasps.

"We don't have any trees… Where did that tree come from?!" Michael asks himself, mainly, in a confused whisper.

"You mean that tree wasn't there before today?" The elder questions in disbelief.

The couple nods in unison. "We were out here just yesterday, too…" The wife adds in.

 _Strange_. The younger of the three rubs his chin. _A sudden appearance of such a large tree? Maybe they're crazy and killed their daughter or some shit._ Perry inaudibly snorts at that.

"Yeah, well, that's not the clue. It's over by that well of yours on the side of the house." Jones cuts in again.

"A well?" It's the wife this time. Now Moore is starting to feel suspicious of the two, or at least the wife. _Things don't just magically appear._

"Yeah, the well? It's old and wooden, and honestly, despite the fact that there's no water, it's still pretty dangerous to have around your children."

"We've never installed a well, or at least, we've never _seen_ one— and we've lived here for two years now!" Michael's confusion turns to anger, his temper flaring at these strange apparitions.

"Calm down, Mr. Richards! Those things don't matter right now, your daughter does," Moore raises his hands between the two. He turns to his comrade. "What was the clue?"

"Follow me." They all walk over to the narrow and overgrown side of the house. Sure enough, a well sits there, ancient in its appearance. The woman raises her hand to stop their movement, and kneels to the side.

Blood. A fair amount of the red substance, now dried and darkened, lies splattered across the grass and weeds in front of the well.

Jones points at the stains, and she then shifts her finger to the edge of the well, where more drops of blood are dried onto the edge.

"And there seems to be some inside of it, as well, but barely. At first, I was thinking this could be from a broken bone, if she fell for some reason, but it doesn't look like it," She looks up at the ashen faces of the parents. "Except I'm not the expert, and we're not even sure if it's her blood. We'll get the detective right away."

Julia spread the news to her family and her daughter's friends, and promised to keep everyone updated. She returned her daughter's things to her room, and she sat on her bed for a while before her husband called her back down. That's right. The girls need dinner, but she couldn't eat. Nor could her husband. The kids didn't grasp the severity of the situation, and they carried on as normal.

The Richards couple did not sleep well that night.

Madison's friends were heartbroken at the news, and decided to all spend that night together, despite it being a school night. Their parents excused them for the next day.

And yet, unbeknownst to the people of this world, their little universe-jumper was ecstatic at receiving the greatest birthday present in the world.

* * *

After five days, there was no sign of the missing girl, despite the fervent search and the work of the detective, and it was soon thought that she had just disappeared. Her family gave up, and much to her friends' chagrin, the case was soon dropped, for there was simply nothing to follow.

Most people thought she was dead, for the dried blood at the well was indeed hers. Her parents soon brought themselves to agree, for the simple act of closure. If she reappeared, wonderful! If not, then she may as well be dead.

The 'funeral' was in two days— a week after her birthday.

Luckily for them, it was soon canceled.

* * *

 **Moriko**

"You ready?" I ask the nervous hanyou next to me. It's dusk as we stand before the well.

"I guess so…" He twiddles with Tessaiga again, the fang now resting in his obi instead of his hakama. "But why do I have to wear the rosary?"

"I'm pretty sure you can pass through if you're with me, since all you need is something from my world to bring you there, but _without_ me, I'm positive you'll need it for the well to work. This is just a precaution, so don't worry about me using it on you… _Unless_ you try to attack something. Remember, there are _no_ youkai in my world. _Only_ humans and animals."

"Yeah yeah yeah, you already said that. Let's just go." He grumbles.

"Alright then, hold onto me, and jump in." I move into his right side, free of Yura's katana. I decided to leave it in Kaede's hut for safe keeping on our trip to my world, and since I have no other clothes, I continue wearing my miko outfit.

"Right," He mutters. He wraps his arm around me as he hops onto the edge of the well, and soon we're falling through a whirlpool of blue and stars. We reach the other side, and he hops up and onto the grass effortlessly. "Damn, your world _stinks_!"

"I know it does, it's a thing called _pollution_. Now, remember, you _cannot_ be seen. And as a warning, my mother may go ballistic when she sees me. I've been gone for quite a while, and here, that's a _serious_ problem. I'll try and translate everything for you, so don't panic if she yells or anything if I can't get a word in. Got it?" I begin walking to the back door.

"Got it." He follows closely behind me as I reach for the door handle.

Bracing my nerves, I turn the knob, slowly opening the door, and I peek my head in. I hear a gasp, and I turn my head left towards the cooking area, where my mother is doing dishes at the sink. I notice the blinds of the window above the sink are closed, so she obviously didn't see us walk by the window towards the backdoor.

I continue entering despite her surprise, and after Inuyasha walks in behind me, I shut the door with a soft click. I look back at my mother and smile, English naturally coming to my tongue, "Hey, Mom! Sorry to keep you waiting for so long."

The glass cup she's holding slips from her hand and shatters on the ground, causing Inuyasha and I— but mostly Inuyasha— to flinch at the sound as glass pieces scatter at our feet.

" _Madison_?" The emotion in my mother's voice almost brings me to tears, but I soon snap out of my stupor as my mother does the same and tries to walk towards me— _barefoot_.

"Mom! Stop! _Glass_! I'll come to you, I'll come to you." I yell as I dart forward to stop her movement, my tennis shoes protecting my feet from the broken shards. As my hand reaches her shoulder, she grabs my own and crushes me into a spine-snapping hug.

"Where on Earth have you _been_?!" She sobs into my chest. "We thought you were _dead_! We were going to have a funeral and everything because you… You…" She looks back up as she releases me, tears streaming down her face. "You just _disappeared_."

I sigh and give her a soft hug of my own. "Sit down, and I'll explain everything…" I release her and take note of the shards of glass at our feet. " _After_ I clean up this mess." I chuckle.

I look back at Inuyasha as he stands next to the dining table, patiently waiting— for _once_ , and I motion towards the broom leaning against the wall a foot or so behind him. "Can you toss that to me? And don't move, I don't want to be digging glass out of your feet later today." I grin.

"Tch, my skin's tougher than it looks you know." He scowls, but doesn't move his legs as he reaches behind him to toss the broom across the short distance between us. I catch it and begin to sweep up the glass across the ground.

As soon as I'm sure I have every piece, I toss them into our 44-gallon trashcan next to the backdoor. _We're really gonna be filling that up now that he's here…_

"Inuyasha, you can take a seat at the chair next to you if you'd like." I say as I take my mother's hand, ignoring her past few minutes of gawking, and bring her to a seat next to me. I sit next to Inuyasha's spot at the end of the table.

"You sure it's okay?" He asks, staring at my mother's awestruck face, likely not feeling very welcome.

I giggle and pat the spot. "Of course! Friends are always welcome, so make yourself at home!"

He says nothing as his cheeks redden slightly. He untucks his arms from his sleeves and pulls out the chair to sit, leaning back and hiding his arms again.

I turn back to my mother and close her gaping mouth. "Mom, it's rude to stare." I chastise the poor woman.

She looks back at me. "I _must_ be dreaming. Is that who I think it is?"

I glance at him, reassured that he doesn't understand a lick of English, and I turn back to Mom. "I thought the same thing at first, but trust me, he's real. But please, I don't want him knowing about his existence here, nor anyone else for that matter, so you've gotta keep quiet about it. If you could make him something to eat while I go and hide my room of any evidence, that would be really helpful."

She nods. "Sure. What should I make him?"

I shrug and turn to him. "You hungry?"

It seems I brought him out of a daydream of some kind. "Oh, uh, yeah."

I roll my eyes with a smile. "Well, what would you like? I'm sure we have all kinds of meat, and noodles, and we have a bunch of other stuff that don't even exist yet in your world. Wanna try something new? I promise it'll taste great!"

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

She didn't say her name… Or, at least, what I _thought_ was her name.

It confused me at first, then she asked for the strange broom behind me.

After inviting me to sit, I stare at her, trying to make sense of their strange language, and trying to figure out why her mother didn't say her _name_. Considering their glances in my direction, they're obviously talking about me.

 _But she responded to it. Maybe it's a nickname? Or maybe it just sounds different in different languages?_ I restrain myself from growling at my ponderings. _I'm definitely asking her about this later._

Her voice suddenly sounding understandable, I realize she's talking to me. I blink a few times to refocus on her face, my eyes blurred from my hard stare.

"Oh, uh, yeah." I reply. _We did skip dinner._

She smiles and rolls her eyes. "Well, what would you like? I'm sure we have all kinds of meat, and noodles, and we have a bunch of other stuff that don't even exist yet in your world. Wanna try something new? I promise it'll taste great!"

 _Something new, huh?_ I shrug. _Might as well go for it._

"Sure, I'll try something new." I nod.

"Great! I'll be right back then. Mom will make something for us. A _lot_ of it!" She turns to her mother again. "Can you grill us some turkey and ham and cheese sandwiches? Like, eight of them. We haven't eaten for a while now. I'll pay you back for the groceries."

She stands up from her chair as her mother replies, "Alright. Be quick!"

"Be right back, Inuyasha! I gotta clean my room real quick!" And soon she disappears around what seems to be steps. I hear her feet thumping above us, and I assume her home has another level. _Woah…_

A clatter from my left makes me jump in my seat. Her mom looks at me apologetically as she closes the door to an odd contraption. She opens a door to a cabinet above it and takes out two large plates. I can't help but feel wary of her presence, but if she's the one who raised Moriko, then _surely_ she won't think badly of me.

 _Right?_ I huff quietly. _Only time will tell._

As my gaze rests on her actions with her hands, I fail to notice her face turn towards my own. Her voice draws my eyes to hers. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uhhh, I can't understand you…" I mutter, loud enough for her to hear, though I doubt she'll understand me, anyway.

She covers her mouth with her hand and smothers a laugh, waving her other hand dismissively, "I'm sorry! We can't even understand each other! My bad." She pauses, tapping her chin, her face slightly similar to Moriko's Thinking Face. She snaps her fingers then. _Got an idea, lady?_ She turns around and opens another cabinet filled with strange cups. Some of them are like the one she dropped, but most are in a variety of colors and patterns. She takes out a blue one, then she turns to me and gestures to it.

I figure out what she's asking at that point, and I nod my head. _I may not even drink it, but I won't turn her down._

She smiles and moves to a massive object in the corner. Apparently, it has doors, for she opens one on the left and reaches in to drop something into the cup. Whatever she dropped into it is hard and noisy. She shuts the door, and presses her finger against something on it. A blue light appears, and she presses the cup below the light. The rush of liquid reaches my ears, and then an odd cracking sound comes from the cup.

She moves the cup away, and the light darkens. She walks over to me and offers the cup. I nod my thanks and take the drink. I bring it close, confirming what my nose already told me.

It's just water, and…

 _Is that ice?_

I take a sip. _Yep, that's ice— but how?_

I add that thought to the list of questions for Moriko to answer later, though I may not even _have_ to ask anything. The girl has a habit of explaining things I never even asked in the first place, so I wouldn't doubt she'd do the same here.

I'm once again brought out of my thoughts as I breathe in a nauseating stench, and _thankfully_ , it quickly disappears. I look over to the source and see her mother moving away from a skillet resting over— a blue flame?!

 _So… They can contain both fire and ice? Or are they producing it somehow? Damn, Moriko, hurry the fuck up, I'm getting restless here!_

No sooner does the thought cross my mind, I hear Moriko call down to me, "Almost done, Inuyasha! Just give me another minute!"

 _Is it luck, or have the Kami really been answering my every prayer lately?_

 _With my horrible luck, I'm gonna have to say it's the Kami._

A few moments pass when suddenly a mouth-watering aroma fills the room, distracting me from the bounding footsteps rushing down to our level. Moriko hops off the last step and turns the corner towards the kitchen, making eye contact with me in the process.

"Sorry, I was debating on getting changed, but I'd like to shower first." She pulls out the chair next to me once again and sits.

"A shower? Like, a rain-shower? And how do you have ice and fire inside your home? And why didn't she say your name? Are the lights on the ceiling fire, too?" My restless demeanor makes her laugh after I finish my line of questions. I blush at my own impatience. Thankfully, she sensed my embarrassment and quickly waves me off.

"It's alright, Inuyasha, it's a lot to take in at once! I'll try to explain everything as best as I can," _As she always does._ "I'll start with your first question. A shower is like a bath, except the water rains over you in a very small room. You can control its temperature and how hard the stream falls, and it washes your hair and body without having to fill a tub, so it's a lot faster and cleaner than a bath. I'll show it to you when we head upstairs."

"Upstairs? You mean the steps?" I ask.

"Yup. We call those steps a staircase, or stairs, for short. They're just like the steps at Kaede's shrine." I nod at her explanation, running the word around my head a few times. She stands and motions for me to follow, and we head towards the large contraption in the corner. "We do keep ice and fire, in a way." She opens both of its doors, and inside I see packs of what appears to be food and labeled liquids. The one on the left is much colder. "This one here is called a _freezer_ , cause it freezes stuff. Simple, right?" She chuckles.

I grin in return. " _That's_ easy to remember."

She smiles wider and continues, " _Very_ easy. It freezes water, so we can have cold drinks, and it freezes food, so it can last much longer than normal. Kinda like drying meat, except when it thaws, it's back to normal," I nod. "The right one keeps things that we want cold, but not frozen. Like foods that will rot if kept warm, and drinks that we want kept cold. We call it a _fridge_ , but that's also a name for the whole thing, so we just keep them identifiable by using either 'freezer' or 'fridge'."

Even though these words don't exist in my world, despite them being said in my language, I am very thankful I won't have to remember them in _her_ language.

She turns towards where her mother finishes a square shaped piece of what is obviously some type of food. She rests her hand on a protruding knob, and as she turns it, the smell once again reaching my nose for a split second, she begins, "That smell is a type of gas that comes from beneath the ground, kinda like from a mine, and we use it as fuel instead of wood. If the gas is left going for too long, it could ignite this entire house within seconds, like an explosion, which is why they made it smell so bad. If it had no smell, we would never know if we were in danger or not."

"Your people really thought of everything, didn't they?" I stare in awe at the blue flame.

"In a way, yes, but it took a lot of trial-and-error to get where we are now." She replies with a shrug, turning off the flame.

"Why is it blue?" I utter questioningly.

"Fire comes in many colors. The red orange we are used to is because we can't make it any hotter unless we added a substance to it. The blue is caused both by the higher temperature and the gas. If I were to splash some water on it, it would spark red for a moment."

"All done." Her mother catches her attention.

"Alright, thanks Mom!" She turns back to me. "Let's wash our hands first, then go sit, and I'll finish your last two questions while we eat."

As she explains why the soap has such a strong smell, she carries two plates with her to the table, while her mother disappears down a hallway into another room. We sit down once again, her plate with two, mine with six, and as I reach to grab one, she holds up her hands to halt my own.

"These are called _sandwiches_ , these three have turkey, a type of poultry native to this land, and these three have pork that we call _ham_. Take a bite of one and _savor_ it. This food is not just meant for nourishment, but for the _taste_. So, _taste_ it first."

I roll my eyes. "What's the big deal about the _taste_?"

She sighs and shakes her head. "Um, hel _lo_? It's a wonderful feeling to taste something good, and you've never tried this before, so _taste_ it, _then_ ravish it. Alright?"

"Fine," I mutter, grabbing a… _Turkey_ and taking a fair-sized bite. I falter as I slowly chew, bursts of flavors I've never even _imagined_ before sweeping my tongue. I swallow. " _Holy shit_."

She giggles as she swallows a bite of her own. "Was I right or was I _right_?"

For once, I gotta admit, she _was_ right.

 _For once?_

 _Fuck off._

"Yeah yeah, no need to brag, wench. Now what about those answers?" I change the subject as I inhale the rest of the 'sandwich'. _There's plenty more to savor,_ I reason.

She swallows another bite. "The lights are not fire, but a generated light from a thing called electricity, which is basically contained lightning, so it's _extremely_ dangerous. And as for my name…" I pause mid-bite, for _that_ has been the question eating away at me since the beginning of our trip here. "Madison is my birthname, yes, and that's what my family calls me, but I've always _hated_ it. My friends sometimes call me it, but they'll also call me Moriko, a nickname I've had for years now. Moriko is more _me_ , while Madison is more of just a title for who I am to my family, if you can get that."

I nod reassuringly, and I'm not at all angry. I was merely confused, but her explanation makes perfect sense. Even if it's not as extreme compared to my own comparison, but I'd much rather be called by my _name_ than by a _title_ … Especially if said title is ' _half-breed_ ', or a disgusted ' _hanyou_ '.

"You're not mad?" She questions meekly.

I roll my eyes. "Of _course_ not, stupid. It's just a _name_. You can call yourself whatever you damn well please!"

She laughs at that, relaxing her shoulders as she takes another small bite. We eat in silence, the aura of her home feeling like just that… A _home_.

* * *

A/N

I'm almost done with the last 5000. I appreciate everyone's patience!

The next chapter will have a lot more humor to it, as well, since not much happened here.

Stay tuned! And please review! I love hearing your thoughts!


	9. A Family and Their New Dog- part 2!

The song in here: Yotaka no Yume by DAI - translated by muah.

A LOT HAPPENS IN THIS CHAPTER, SO ENJOY YOURSELVES.

If you were to combine chapter 6 part 1 with this, you'd have 11,849 words.

That's my way of apologizing for the wait. So ENJOY.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure Inuyasha hates baths (Hello? Dog?), why didn't you have Kagome invite him for a shower, Takahashi?

* * *

Chapter 6 Part 2: A Family and Their New Dog

 **Moriko**

"And here's the shower I told you about, which I'm going to use in a few minutes, if you don't mind. I'd like to be _completely_ clean of blood and dirt, _and_ change into clean underwear, for goodness's sake!"

I scoff, "What's with you and being clean?"

"I hate being dirty! It makes me feel gross and grimy and _gritty_ , and I hate it!" She whines pitifully. She pulls me out of the bathing room and lightly shoves me towards her too-big-for-one-person 'bed'. "Just go play with Dexter for a bit, his toy is hanging off the edge of the bed. I'll be right out."

"Keh," I move to sit at the foot of the bed. A dark gray blur darts towards my feet, out from under her blanket. The small feline tries to claw at the strings around my ankles, and I can't help but chuckle at his attempts. "Have fun trying to tear those, cat. If they can withstand youkai, they can withstand _you_."

"Careful, he may be small, but he's got one Helluva scratch," She warns, and then laughs. "I've got the scars to prove it, too!"

I turn to face her, wondering why she hasn't disappeared into the bathing room yet, and my eyes widen. She's only in her underwear, digging around a chest of drawers. I glance at the stitches on her right side. _It_ _ **does**_ _look like it needs a good rinse._

She pulls out her strange clothes and shuts the drawers with her hip. She turns to me and smiles. "Sit tight!"

I grunt in response, and as I remove Tessaiga, I lower myself onto her soft floor as the little guy continues to play with my ties. I rest it beside me, and I move my arm towards Dexter and lightly scratch behind his ears. He switches targets and wraps himself around my hand and wrist, going back and forth between nibbling and licking my fingers.

 _At least he's amusing._

The muffled sound of rushing water fills the room, and I look over at the closed door to… What'd she call it? A bathroom?

Before today, I never would've thought any of these inventions to be possible, and yet, here I am, in another universe, what'd she say that first night? — 517 years? — from my own time. Weird, to say the least, but also _incredible_.

 _Her room is probably even larger than the old hag's hut, honestly._

"Hidden in~ the darkness of the night~"

 _What the-?_

"We continued to fly across~ the sky."

 _Is she?..._

"The moon~ didn't know a thing~"

 _Singing?_

"And every day, we flew lower and lower~."

I gently pry Dexter off of my hand and stand to walk to the door, catching every syllable.

"But what kind of person is there, living and laughing, I wonder~? What kind of dream is there, born to be nurtured?"

Listening to her voice, I think back to my own mother. She didn't sing to me, no. As much as I hate to say it, she was not blessed with a pretty singing voice. When she spoke, she sounded beautiful, but not when she sang. She could _hum_ , though. She'd hum her own lullabies to me, mostly on my human nights, when I had the most trouble sleeping. And I loved her for it. More than a hundred years have passed, but I still have never been able to sleep the same since her passing.

I walk back to Moriko's bed as her surprisingly pleasant voice increases in volume and speed, the originally light-hearted sounding song now darkening in its word's meanings. I sit on the side not up against the wall, and this time, I notice another cat, with grey and white fur, and also _much fatter_ than the previous. _That must be Yuki._ As she struggles her way out from under a set of pillows on the ground, Dexter runs and tackles her. She doesn't even _react_ , and as soon as he hits the ground to rebound, she lays on top of him.

I snort at the scene, "It seems agility has lost to size!"

I watch them 'fight' for a little while, when suddenly I hear a loud banging from downstairs. _The Hell?!_

I resist the temptation to leave the room, my instincts telling me to _stay_ , while common sense is telling me to _investigate_.

The pounding stops, and new voices echo throughout the home. I don Tessaiga.

My mind and body are still split from their choices when the sound of rushing water from Moriko's bathroom suddenly ceases, which finalizes my decision to _wait_.

I move to wait outside the door, feeling on edge. _What's wrong with me? I feel like we're in danger, but aren't we supposed to be safe here?_

I almost jump when she opens the door, and she lets out a soft gasp, her hand gripping her chest dramatically. "Don't scare me like that!" She laughs in relief.

"Sorry, I just—" I pause, an uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. _What the fuck is wrong with me?!_

She notices my wariness. "Inuyasha, are you alright? Did something happen?"

I shake my head. "No, I just… I feel like something's wrong… Or like something bad is about to happen. I can't shake it."

Immediately her face turns serious, and she opens her mouth to say something when stomping feet seem to get closer and closer… _Up the stairs_.

Without a warning, she grabs me, shoves me into the now dark bathroom, and softly, but swiftly, shuts the door behind me just as her bedroom door flies open.

"You know, I'd appreciate it if you'd knock! Who are you people, anyway?! I could've been waltzing around naked!" Her voice sounds angry and confused, and from the strange scents wafting in from under the door, I get the feeling that she doesn't know these new people.

I nearly growl at the thought, but I stop myself. _I can't be seen_. And thankfully, she doesn't sound _afraid_ , just _pissed_.

"I'm Detective Locke, and these are the officers that aided in your search. Madison, you have to tell us who kidnapped you, _now_. This is important! Come, come now. We have much to discuss." A man's voice, on the older side, and he sounds urgent. _He seems to know her, though? He said her 'name'._

"Alright, alright! Just give me a moment! Geez, I just got here!" I hold back a snort at her scolding tone. "Go on downstairs and let me finish getting ready. I'll be down soon."

They continue exchanging words, when finally, her door shuts, and multiple footsteps retreat back down the steps.

A soft knock. "You can come out now." She whispers.

I slowly open the door. "Who were they?" I unconsciously match her volume. "They said your name."

She sighs. "They're the reason why I don't want you to be seen. They're kind of like, my land's protectors, but many of them can be bad, or become power hungry. I don't think these people are like that, and that they just want me safe, but I'm worried about just what could happen if they found out about _you_. I'm guessing my mom either called them, or my mom called my dad and my dad called them, or whatever. Either way, they're here, and you're gonna have to stay up here until I come up here to get you, okay?"

"You mean I have to sit up here quietly, don't you?" I mutter.

She grins sheepishly, and I groan. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, I know you've been restless. I'll try and get them out of here as quickly as possible!" I'm about to answer her when she grabs my hand and pulls me to the center of her room. Her bed rests in the back-left corner, and her chest on the wall across from it, on our left. A large, thin box sits on the wall across from the bed on the right, and a small table with a little flat square sitting on top of it is to our right. "Here, I'll turn on a movie for you. It's like a play, but you can keep it with you, alright? This magic box here is the thing I was telling you about last time. It's called a _television_ , but in short, we say TV. You follow?"

I nod dumbly, trying to process her rushed words.

"Alright then, now sit, and enjoy a fun story! It's drawn to make it more fun, so it's not real people. I feel like that'd be a bit much on your first day here."

I can't help but feel she's probably right about something again, for I sit and stare at the now bright box in awe.

* * *

 **Moriko**

I feel bad for leaving him up here again, but I obviously can't bring an inu-hanyou downstairs with me when fucking _cops_ are wondering who _kidnapped me_.

 _Now that'd just look bad._

I turn on _'Origin: Spirits of the Past'_ , and thankfully, it's in Japanese.

 _God bless my love for anime, finding Japanese shows in America would probably be Hella hard._ I pause for a moment. _Maybe I'll buy 'Ju-on' next time I'm at a video store. He'd probably like a demonic story._

Assured by the start of the movie, keeping the volume low— _he can hear it just fine, anyway_ — I turn and quickly leave the room, preparing a false story in my head for the detective. I decide to intertwine some _truth_ with blatant _lies_ to make my words sound as believable as possible. _I'll incorporate the bandits from the show, yeah! Cause it actually happened in the show! I'm gonna go psychological on their asses._ Considering the fact that they don't know _shit_ about anything that happened, this should be fairly simple… _Hopefully_.

They're sitting in the kitchen. Mom looks as unprepared as I was, so I'm definitely sure she wasn't expecting them. _Damn it, Dad. It had to be you!_ They all turn to me when I reach the bottom of the stairs, and I walk through the living room to go and sit at the table with them. _Oh, be still, my beating heart. How does one explain the heart attack of a teenager?!_

"Well, I guess I should start from the beginning. I'll tell you all that I know." I start. Mom looks at me worriedly; thankfully, the officers don't notice. I try to convey that I'm lying straight through my teeth.

"Please, continue. We'll wait until you finish." A woman says.

"Alright, well, to start. I woke up on my birthday, aaaand the cat ran outside when I let the dogs out, right before I was about to leave. I ran after him and came upon a well, which we _did not have before that day_ , mind you, and when I caught him and put him in the house, I uh, went back to investigate. The tree surprised me, too, and when I turned around to look at it, I felt a pain in my side, and it turns out some guys were hiding out in the well," I speak as confidently as I can. _They seem to be buying into it._ "They sliced my side a couple times and tied me up. They were wearing freaky masks, too, like monsters. They threw me into the back of a van, and they kept asking me if I could find this gem for them or something, like I knew something about it. It took them awhile to figure out that I knew nothing, and after taking care of my cut, they dropped me off back here, then sped away. I don't know who they were, they seemed a bit on the middle-aged side, and they were all men. That's really all I know." And I rest my hands in my lap to await any questions. _Keep the details to a minimum, Madison! Moriko? Madison? Oh, fuck it!_

"What do you mean they took care of your wound?" One younger officer asks.

"They stitched it up; very nicely, actually. Don't know if it was them or a doctor they found or something, but they tried to be nice. They actually kinda freaked out about the blood, I think it may have been an accident. It seems like they just really wanted to know wherever that gem was." _You're doing good! Keep at it!_

"Odd. They didn't hurt you again after that? Or threaten you?" It's the detective this time.

"Not at all. I think they kept me for so long so that when they dropped me off, no one would be around here to see." _Damn, I'm good at this. I'm not used to lying, but I'm good at story-telling!_

"Was there anything you could notice about them? Their voices, race, hair, height, weight, anything?" An older cop jumps in, a little on the desperate side.

I shake my head. "Not a thing, though I think most of them were Caucasian, I think another may have been Asian, other than that, I don't know, or I couldn't tell."

They asked me a few more questions about my 'kidnappers', and then they asked if I needed to go to the hospital. After I told them I was fine, Detective… Locke? — gave me his number, and said that if I recognized anything, that I should call him immediately. Surprisingly, no one tried to bring up the well or the tree.

Not long after, they all got up to leave, and the woman clasped me on the shoulder as the men exited my house. "I really am thankful that you're okay. It seems my prayers were answered."

I can't really help but appreciate the gesture, for her genuine concern for my safety makes my heart do a little dance. "Thank you so much for keeping me in your prayers, ma'am. I'll make sure to stay out of trouble from now on."

She laughs and gives me a light hug. "You better!"

I wave after as they leave, and as soon as I shut the door, I release a huge sigh of relief and slide down to the floor. "God, that stressed me out! Did Dad call them?!"

My mom's fanning herself, and a look of guilt flashes through her eyes. "I guess so. I got off the phone with him only about ten minutes before. I didn't even have time to warn you! I'm glad you were able to handle all of that! Was any of it true?"

I chuckle. "Not at all. I basically just told the story from the show with a little bit of what actually happened. I'm gonna run back up, okay? I'll come back down when Dad gets home, Inuyasha's probably losing his mind on having to stay quiet."

She laughs as I run back up the stairs. "Inuyasha! They're gone! Everything's fine now!"

"Ugh, _finally_!" He groans, and I snicker in return.

"Are you liking the movie?" I ask, moving to sit next to him. He's barely thirty minutes in, but it's still a good portion of it.

"I guess. It's _cool_ looking. I've never seen anything like it." He mutters the last part, his focus returning to the large, bright screen. He turns his face to me again. "So, what'd you tell em? I'm guessing you didn't say anything about the well, right?"

"Correct. I told them a faker version of what happened, that was filled with _humans_ instead of _youkai_. And it wasn't a _jewel_ but a _gem_. Aaaand you weren't in it at all, I didn't want to accidentally hint at anything while you're right upstairs. Thanks for being so quiet. Sorry you just had to sit here." I rub the back of my head, trying to make my apology as meaningful as possible.

"Tch, don't worry about it," He rolls his eyes. "At least I wasn't _bored_ this time around, though I don't really wanna sit here anymore."

I give him a grin. "You wanna take a shower? I have some clothes you can borrow if you wanna have yours cleaned real quick. I mean, you haven't bathed in, what, fifty years? Here's your chance to not have to take a bath!" I laugh.

He gives me a weird look. "Are you trying to say I smell, wench?"

I laugh harder, "Not at all! You smell like the forest, and it's really nice, actually," His cheeks slightly pink at my compliment. "But I mean to actually _wash_ yourself. And don't worry, my soaps aren't all _girly_ smelling, if you're worried about that. Most of them are actually unscented, so they wouldn't bug your nose. I'm pretty sensitive to smells myself, ya know."

"I don't know…" He sighs and scratches behind his ears.

"You'll have complete and total privacy, too, and you can control the temperature. _And_ it's relaxing! _And_ it's—"

" _Alright_! I'll take the damn shower! Will ya stop yapping?!" He snaps.

I quiet instantly. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I just got a little excited."

He sighs and rubs his hand down his face. "Listen, Moriko, it's fine. Really, just… Don't be so _pushy_."

"Okay! Okay. Do… Do you want to _now_ or later or?" I twine my fingers together, avoiding his eyes. _How embarrassing. Now I've just annoyed him,_ _ **and**_ _he's already antsy. I really need to stop putting so much on him at once._

"Now is fine. Besides, isn't your dad supposed to be home soon or something?" He stands, arms crossed.

"Actually, we've still got a few hours, though he _might_ leave early," He nods once and looks at me directly, waiting for my move. I take a deep breath and stand to face him, rubbing my arms. "Look… I _am_ really sorry for throwing a lot at you at once… Which has been happening a lot lately it seems," I mutter. "I'll try and… _Think_ first, before I _slowly_ start running my mouth… Can you forgive me?"

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

I don't even have the time to try and hold back my look of shock. _She's asking for… My **forgiveness**?!_

"Moriko, you really don't have to apologize… I mean, it's not like I can really keep my mouth shut all that easily, either," I awkwardly shuffle my feet. _She appreciates honesty, she appreciates honesty, I don't have to hold back._ "Sure, you talk a whole bunch, but at least you aren't… Ya know… Just talking for the Hell of it. You keep a point and explain, it's just… Well…" I trail off, and she quickly picks up my sentence.

"It's all really new, I know. And you've been so patient, too!" She looks down and puts on her Thinking Face, which is soon replaced with a bright smile. "You know what, after you're done, I'll get a present ready for you! Does that sound okay?"

My arms drop to the floor. "What? A _present_? For what?!"

"For being so great today! You've been awesome, and I _really_ appreciate it. You were even completely silent when the cops came barging in, _and_ you warned me beforehand, before you even knew they were there! I honestly can't thank you enough for how wonderful you've been today!" She's practically _beaming_ , and I'm practically _sweating_.

"Shut up, alright?!" _I cannot stand it when she does that! I'm changing the damn subject!_ "So, are ya gonna help me with the shower or not?!"

"O-oh, sure! Here, I'll get you a change of clothes first." She runs to her chest and starts shuffling through clothes. _I never agreed to that part, wench!_ And as I'm about to tell her as such, she pulls out a large pair of flimsy, strange hakama and a large... Top, like she's wearing. "These pants here are called 'sweats'. They're really billowy and soft, so I'm sure you'll like them. And this here is called a 'shirt'. I got the biggest one I have so you don't have to worry about it feeling too tight. Oh, do you wear a fundoshi?" I wonder at this moment if it's possible for your blood to run cold and heat up at the exact same time, because I'm pretty sure it just happened. _I'm not answering. No fucking way!_ "If you do, I can give you something else to change into. If not, then I guess you can go without. These pants should work just fine for it."

"Fine, fine, and fine. Have it your way." I move to walk to the bathroom when she stops me with an outstretched arm. She looks at me expectantly. "What?"

"Well, do you?" Her expression is asking for an honest answer. _Is this bitch serious?!_

"Does it honestly look like I want to answer that question?" I grind out through clenched teeth. _I will **not** blush at such a stupid question!_

 _You already are._

 _Shut the **fuck** up!_

"Pfft, okay then. Wear what you want. Here." She bunches up the garments and hands them to me, then motions for me to follow her.

After explaining the, from what she said, 'mechanics' of the shower and pointing out which and in what order of soaps I should use, she removes the rosary and tells me to toss my clothes out the door when I'm done undressing. _How does she talk about it so casually?_

 _And she asked me if I wear a fucking fundoshi! Who asks that?!_

No one. No one asks that. Because that's not something people are supposed to _talk about_.

 _Well, this_ is _the girl that stripped to her underwear in front of me without a forethought._

That's probably it. Maybe it's normal here? Besides, her underclothes cover more than our own do, maybe she just doesn't feel as… _Exposed_ as we do.

Though, I _don't_ wear a fundoshi. For some reason, I felt mortified at the thought of her _knowing_ that. Even though she expected either one, and didn't seem to _mind_ either one… I shiver. _Still too much personal information for me to give._

I toss out my clothes and shut the door. I'm about to move to the lightly steaming shower when I hear a soft knock.

"What?" _Oh, dear Kami, please don't open the door._

"I know I set out a towel for you, but if you want to shake yourself dry, please do it in the shower after you turn the water off!"

"Just how much shit do you know about me anyway?!" I normally am not one to shriek, but just the fact that she knows about my more _canine_ habits really struck a nerve. _I swear, if she ever treats me like a dog…_

"I said I know a lot, okay?! No need to be embarrassed! I just don't want to have to clean up a mess later!" She calls back. She isn't laughing, thankfully. Again, she sounds completely honest. _Does she really not mind?_

I don't answer back and quickly step beneath the warm water and— _holy shit_.

I'm pretty sure being stuck to a tree for so long made my back as taut as a bowstring because _Kami_ … My back feels like it's _melting_. Not just from the heat, but from the sputtering stream, easing the tension across my neck and shoulders and spine…

 _Oh, what the Hell…_

I'll wash myself as my own 'thank you', cause damn, if this doesn't feel _amazing_.

* * *

"How long until my clothes are clean?" I ask, tossing her the barely used towel.

"Eh, maybe an hour or so. I didn't put them in for very long, so they'll just have a short rinse and dry, for your sake," She throws the towel into a black basket beside her 'desk'. "Now, as for your present…"

"For real? You honestly didn't need to get anything. It's stupid." I grumble.

"It is not! I have to show my thanks _somehow_. It's how I express myself!" She does a dumb little growl and crosses her arms dramatically.

I scoff and turn away, back towards the foot of her bed. She has a lamp on, the afternoon sun lighting most of the room through her huge window. I asked if the lamp used oil like the ones from my world, but she said it also uses 'electricity', and that nearly everything in her world is run by it. I pull at the neckline of my 'shirt'. She was right about the clothes, at least. They are really soft.

But I won't admit that.

"Show your thanks by just _saying_ it. Nobody cares about stupid gifts!"

"Well, _I_ care about stupid gifts! I love gifts! Even something as simple and as small as a little daisy… They mean the _world_ to me!" Her eyes get a girly, dreamy look, and she folds her hands. "Because with gifts, even small ones like that… Well, it's the _thought_ that counts. No need for expensive or extravagant things, just… Something to give that makes you think, 'Hmm, this reminds me of this person' or 'It's small, but I feel like they'd like it'. It's so much more meaningful, don't you think?"

She looks at me then, her hands clasped across her chest, and a soft smile on her face.

"You mean _any_ gift is meaningful to you?" I can't contain my cynical tone.

Her smile doesn't waver. "Yep! Just the fact that someone wants to give you something as a token of their affection, or gratitude, or love, or friendship; it makes me feel so… _Appreciated_. Like someone is _glad_ that I _exist_ , and that I exist _with_ them."

I look at her, and I mean _really_ look at her. This girl has talked about a fair amount of her life with me. She seems to understand being outcasted, beaten, and probably even _more_ than I have yet to know. It makes sense that someone giving her something for the Hell of it would make her feel like an empress, if what she's said about herself is true. And from her current expression, her tone of voice, and her need to give _me_ a gift… Something tells me she's trying to make _me_ feel like _she_ does when she receives a gift.

Or I could be imagining it.

Nonetheless, I have to hold back a small smile at the thought.

"Well, what is it then?" I find myself asking.

She does a silly dance and twirls. "I'm so glad you asked! I asked Mom to make a special dinner, just for you! She said she doesn't mind, considering she wants to celebrate having me back, and we never _did_ get to celebrate my birthday…"

"So, she's making it for you?" I chuckle.

She sighs and hangs forward, her arms dangling. "Okaayy, yeah, _she_ is, but I _asked_ her to make the meal for _you_. Now, I'll admit I love the meal just as much, but I know you'll adore it. It's called 'steak', and my parents are great cooks!"

"My gift is, from what you say, delicious food?"

"Yup! And if you want more, feel free to ask! I'll give you my slice." She shrugs.

I quirk a brow at that. "I'm not gonna steal food from you, stupid."

"It's not stealing, dummy. I'd be _giving_ it to you," She whirls her hands around in the air dramatically. "Because it's a _gift_."

"Pft," I uncross my arms and gesture towards her. "Again, you're the _only_ one here that cares about that _gift._ "

She's about to make a retort when a door slams downstairs.

" _MADISON_!" A man's voice bellows throughout the house. "Get down here, NOW!"

As soon as her 'name' was spoken, her eyes widened in total fear. "Shit…" She mutters.

Immediately, her entire demeanor changes.

 _Meek_ is not a word to describe this girl, so I'm wondering why on Earth that's all I can see right now. She looks like a scolded child fearing a beating.

 _That better not be true._

"Well, we better go talk to my dad," She laughs nervously. "I'll try and make sure he doesn't lose it with you, so don't worry about him, I'll handle it."

"If you say so." I reply. Her apprehension is practically rolling off of her in waves. _Don't be like that._ "Hey, quit worrying. They can't understand me anyway, so I won't be able to pull any shit if I get mad."

A genuine laugh forces its way out. "I love how you just admitted that you even _pull_ shit!"

I smirk. "Can you blame me? I like to pull shit; it pisses people off; gets a rise outta 'em." I move and walk past her, to the entrance of her room. "Except you, of course, which I'm not sure if it pisses _me_ off, or just amuses me more."

She grins and follows behind me, then opens the door. "What can I say? I have a sense of humor."

I roll my eyes and walk out of the door. "Really? You call that a—"

"Madison! I said _now_!"

Terror flashes across her face again, and she takes a steady breath. "Here goes nothing…" She speeds past me to the stairs, and as I move to glance over her shoulder, I notice a man standing at the foot of the staircase. "Hey, Dad! I'm alive, isn't that crazy?"

He doesn't answer her, or even look at her. He's staring at me in an odd mixture of shock and horror.

"Uh, he isn't gonna shit himself, is he?" I unconsciously whisper near her ear. _Fuck it, they can't understand me anyway._

She smothers a laugh behind her hand and slaps my arm with the other. "Shush! This is serious!"

"Madison… Who the Hell is that?" The man whispers, but she hears him nonetheless.

"Come on, let me talk to you. I already talked to Mom. Sit down on the couch, and don't panic, okay?" She starts, slowly, walking down the stairs, eyeing each step. _I guess stairs count as being high up._

"What the Hell do you mean _don't panic_?! There's a strange man in my house, upstairs alone with my daughter who has been _missing for five days_. Tell me what I shouldn't be freaking out about?!" He stomps a foot onto the first step. Moriko freezes, her scent practically oozing fear.

 _Oh no you don't_.

I follow down quickly and place a hand on her shoulder, trying very hard not to bare my teeth at the panicked human male below me. Her tension quickly ceases. "Come on, don't worry bout 'im."

He steps back onto the floor as I continue downward, dragging Moriko behind me.

I stop at the edge of a large cushioned chair and sit, pulling Moriko down next to me. Her father looks at us with confusion for a moment, but starts to move to another seat, nonetheless.

"So, I'm sure you can guess who he is." Moriko says quietly as he sits down.

"A cosplayer?" He replies, eyeing me up and down with obvious disdain. My scowl returns full force at his gaze.

"Dad, it's him. For real. It's Inuyasha. _For real_. And quit staring at him, it's rude!" She snaps.

His gaze switches to the now uncomfortable miko next to me. She flinches. "You're telling me that a _fictional character_ is residing in my _home_?" He stresses, his voice sounding in disbelief.

 _This is annoying. I can't understand anything!_

"I don't like it when he's mad at me." She whispers near silently, allowing only my ears to hear her words. A low growl starts up in my throat, quietly enough. _But **why**?_ "Yes, he's actually here, and apparently I'm a priestess in charge of guarding and gathering the sacred jewel."

"Uh-uh, no way am I letting my _child_ go into some crazy fictional world. You could get hurt! Or die! Do you have any idea how fast I sped here from _out of town_ the day you disappeared? Out of a _meeting_ , no less! I left two days early because I was _terrified_ that you were _dead_!" He stands and strides over to us, fists at his sides. My growl slightly increases in volume. "You're staying, he's _leaving_. ASAP." He pauses as he looks at me now, and his brows furrow. "Are you _growling_ at me?" He gets closer to my face. _Too… Fucking… Close._

A guttural snarl makes itself known as I bare my fangs at the human man. Somehow, I refrain from standing, though considering I'm just barely shorter than him, I'm not really sure what difference it would make.

He stutters and scrambles backwards only to fall on his ass.

"Yes, he's growling at you! Because you're angry and trying to be imposing!" She yells protectively, and turns to rest her hand on my shoulder, leaning me back a bit. "I'm so sorry. He only asked if you were growling at him, but I can understand why you did that. He was being too domineering, am I right?"

"Yeah, and I'm not one to give just any person my respect because they _wish_ it, your father included," I pause. "Your mother is nice, though." I add.

Her father stands again, seething with rage. "He is _not_ welcome here! Tell him to get out, _NOW_!"

My ears pin back as his shout echoes throughout the large, high ceilinged room, and my growl instantly returns at his threatening demeanor.

Suddenly, Moriko does something I wasn't expecting. She stands up and moves in front of me, blocking my view of her father, or blocking his view of me?

"I won't! He's my friend, and I'm his _only_ friend! I have to do this; the fate of his world depends on it!" She shouts back, anger becoming evident in her voice and posture.

"Does it look like I _care_?! Besides, he's not even human! What were they called? _Demons_? It's a sin to even associate with them!" I now notice her mother in the kitchen, looking at the spectacle with a hint of fear, and a lot of… Sorrow.

Moriko stiffens considerably as he finishes, and she turns, grabs my hand, and starts to drag _me_ away and up the stairs. He continues shouting and moves to follow but I turn and snarl at him again, and he freezes at the foot of the stairs. We make it to the top and walk into her bedroom, and as soon as we're both in, I expect her to gently close the door behind her.

She slams it so hard, I'm sure I heard some wood splinter.

She stands there staring at the door, visibly shaking, her knuckles white from clenching her fists. I wait behind her as she gathers herself, and I hear her father continue at a slightly lower volume of shouting, this time with her mother. _Maybe she can help us out with whatever just happened_.

I'm about to ask about what _did_ just happen when my nose tells me she's crying, and I quickly realize that her quaking form is from her quiet sobbing. _Shit_.

"Moriko?" I ask cautiously.

She takes in a shaky, tearful breath and turns to me.

She told me not long ago that she only usually cries 'happy tears'. And I can easily tell these are nowhere near happy.

"He-he-he said that y-you aren't welcome—," She hiccups. "A-and that he didn't care about my duty, or about your world," She starts to speak more normally, but I know this is just the calm before the storm. "He said he wants you out n-now, and I told him that I wouldn't, because you're my _friend_. Friends should always be welcome…" She takes a few shaky breaths, and she turns to me fully, her arms wrapping around herself. "But he doesn't care. He said he just wants me safe, and then goes around and tries to say that associating with you is a _sin_. A _sin_! I couldn't continue listening to that… B-but now," _Here it comes…_ She starts full on _weeping_ , the whiny, quiet, pitiful kind. "I-I don't know what to _do_! I won't l-leave you! I w-want to go on this journey, and to m-meet everyone! It's a dream come _true_!"

My eyes widen at that. _Who dreams of going on such a dark journey?_ I then remember her telling me about our future 'friends'. _Is it for them? For us?_

"Then why don't you? It's not like he can jump down the well and bring you back, can he? And I wouldn't give a damn if he tried." I say, bringing her out of her bout of depression. She glances up and gives me a watery smile.

"I wish it was that easy but… My world is complicated." She stops and walks past me. I follow behind her. She sits on the edge of the bed, and I sit next to her, just close enough for comfort.

"How so?" I continue. _Surely it can't be that complicated?_ Then I take a look around all of the strange things in her room. _Or maybe it is._

"If I were to leave, those people would come back, and my parents could be locked away, and my sisters could be given away to another family, because here, people are kept track of. My school," _Your what?_ "A place where kids my age go to learn," _Ah, okay_. "Literally makes sure that I attend almost every day of the week. If I'm gone, I can get into extreme trouble, because avoiding it is a _crime_."

My jaw drops. "The place that you go to _learn_ is that strict?!" _Yeah, that's complicated._

She nods mournfully. "The only way I can continue our trek is if I drop out, which I definitely plan to. There's no way for me to continue school here, and I still have 3 months to go to finish my _first_ year." She sighs and shakes her head. "I'm _definitely_ going to have to drop out. I can only hope Mom will allow it…"

A soft knock sounds at her door.

She looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

"It's your mother." I answer.

She nods. "Come in!"

Her mother slowly opens the door and gently shuts it behind her. She ambles over to us and stops in front of Moriko. Her eyes are red and puffy.

She sits on the bed and wraps her arms around Moriko's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I sent him away to blow off some steam. We'll be having dinner without him tonight…" She mumbles against her daughter's right shoulder. "I see his point, but I agree with you on this. Is it really only you who can save his world?"

Moriko gently nods her head.

"Then I won't stop you…" She raises her head to look at me. "And you're welcome here, too."

Moriko then turns to look at me, and she smiles. "She said she won't stop us, and that you're always welcome here."

I look back at her mother in shock. _She's going against her husband's wishes?_

"Is disobeying the man of the household normal for this world?" I ask, not breaking eye contact with her mother.

Moriko let's out a full-blown laugh. "I suppose! Most see each other as equals, though." She turns to her mother. "Thanks, Mom. It means the world to me."

"Of course. You know we only love you." She replies as Moriko hugs her back. Suddenly, her stomach growls. "Oh! Guess I better get started on dinner, huh? I think I forgot to eat lunch, now that I think about it…"

Moriko giggles softly. "She's going to go make dinner now."

Anticipation grips me hard at her words. _So, what the Hell is so good about steak?_

* * *

 **Moriko**

Inuyasha exits the bathroom, dressed back into his normal outfit. I hold back a giggle, remembering his reaction to the aroma of cooking steak. His face while eating it was a whole other story, though.

 _If I didn't know any better, if he had a tail, it would've been wagging._ I smother my laugh behind my palm.

He meets my eyes, quirking a brow. "Oi, what's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." I wave my hand, my worries from before gone for the time-being as the boy in front of me growls in annoyance. "So, the steak was great, right? I knew you'd like it."

He looks away and crosses his arms. "It was okay." He mumbles.

 _For him, that means it must've been amazing._

"Well, I guess an 'okay' gift is better than no gift at all." I say sarcastically.

He doesn't answer except with a roll of his eyes and a huff.

I continue, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Would you want me to lay out a pallet for you? You can let your guard down here; no cops or angry fathers will come barging in at this time of night, I can promise you that."

He sighs and shakes his head. "No thanks. I don't really need sleep anyways." He grabs Tessaiga off my desk and comes to a stop at the edge of my bed. "Where do ya want me? Outside?"

"What? Of course not! You can sleep on any wall in here, or even against my bed. Also, I know you don't really need sleep, but we're about to start travelling, and you're gonna have to be in your little half-awake state for possibly days. Remember what I said about even you not being able to go without sleep for too long?" I admonish him, shaking my finger. "Hell, I'd even let you sleep in my bed, or against the wall on my bed, cause it's so huge." I fail to notice his initial reaction to my suggestion until a stutter leaves his lips.

"Y-your bed?" He chokes. "But that's so… So… _Scandalous_."

I roll my eyes. "Inuyasha, do I look like I give a shit about propriety? How many times have a stripped to my underwear in front of you?" He blushes heatedly and looks away at that. "All I want is for you to at least sleep a bit and be comfortable while doing so. If not on my bed, then at _least_ a pallet? Please?" I clasp my hands together in a pleading manner.

He meets my eyes for only a moment before looking away again. "Keh." He mumbles.

 _I'll take that as an okay._

"So, pallet or bed?" I ask honestly.

"Pallet, obviously!" He answers through clenched teeth. "Kami, what kind of miko _are_ you?" He whispers to himself.

"The kind that knows a good person when she sees them, and I only trust good people." I answer without missing a beat.

My answer is silence, and I continue going through my closet for extra blankets and a pillow. I glance down at the seemingly innocent box in the corner, covered by a bunch of other miscellaneous junk. _I pray that someday I'll have the guts to tell him._

I take out two thick comforters, knowing he probably wouldn't want a blanket, and a mostly flat, but still fluffy, pillow. The head and right side of my bed is against the wall, the foot of my bed near the window that lies at the center of my back wall. I set up the pallet parallel to my bed, slightly lower, away from my bedside table. I climb into bed and reach for my light's remote.

"You can go ahead and lay down now, I'm assuming you wouldn't want a blanket, considering how hot I keep it in here." I say conversationally, a yawn leaving my mouth.

"What did you mean?" His uttered words draw my attention to him fully. I suddenly realize why he remained silent when I replied to his whispered question.

"It means I don't judge people based on physical attributes, and I put my trust in people who have pure souls." I say softly, with a smile.

I know the meaning behind my words is not lost to him as he looks at me in awe.

We spend a few moments saying nothing, and I break the still air with another yawn. It brings him out of his daze.

"Well, u-uh, goodnight then." He mutters quickly, heading towards his makeshift bed.

I grin. "Goodnight, Inuyasha." I pause, and add in, "Sweet dreams."

"Keh…"

I turn over and turn off the light, a soft sigh leaving my lips. Sleep is about to claim me when I hear him reply for real.

"You, too."

I can't wipe the smile on my face as I fall into a blessed realm of unconsciousness.

And I do dream. No nightmares. No night terrors. No darkness.

I dream of flying, but not on my own.

I dream of flying, riding on the back of a red-clad hanyou.

And when I wake, I know for a fact that my toothy smile didn't leave my face _once_ throughout the night. Why?

 _Holy shit, my cheeks hurt like Hell!_

* * *

A/N

Aw heelllllll yeaaahhhh

Long ass chapter in return for a long ass wait.

Don't forget, I love hearing your thoughts!

I'm wide awake, so I'm gonna go ahead and start chapter 7. And a reminder! I'm on DeviantArt and Tumblr, and I post art (in general) and art having to do with the story. If you ever have any questions, or want to find a specific page, just leave me a message!


	10. Author's Note 2

Hello everyone!

Don't worry, next update is coming very soon, I promise!

I just wanted to tell everyone that I'm going to start posting on my YouTube channel. Currently I only have one video up, but soon I will add a few others, and an animatic of a specific scene from the story!

This is kind of a spoiler for a later chapter, but also, not really, since I won't be telling you anything that actually happens during the scene ;)

watch?v=GcAxLESP5yQ

My own original lyrics for Inuyasha's Lullaby, which will actually reoccur multiple times throughout the story after the original chapter is posted.

Message me what you think!


	11. Sometimes True Love is in the Friendzone

I DID IT

Yall Ive been working two jobs, plus college, plus commissions. I am _exhausted_.

But I did it (after a freakin month)

So, to explain real quick

Shinshoku are Shinto priests

A Tsurugi is an ancient Japanese double-edged broadsword

Also, I have my own backstory for Inuyasha, and it bugs me that many people never really talk about his past _before_ Kikyo and _after_ his mother, but it won't be fully told in this chapter, just merely brought up. It will be told in a later chapter, on one of his human nights.

Ouji-sama means prince.

 **Disclaimer** : I do nottttt ownnn Rumiko's story or characters except my own.

* * *

Chapter 7: Sometimes, True Love is in the Friendzone

 **Moriko**

After massaging my cheeks for a moment, I lean over to see if Inuyasha is awake.

 _Oh my gosh! He's actually sleeping!_

I'm guessing my pallet making skills were too much for him to handle, for he's actually _dreaming_. I watch as his eyelids twitch, his eyes moving back and forth. His grip on Tessaiga is nearly non-existent.

Sunlight begins to peek through my curtains, but because of my bed's position, the light can't reach him. _I hate to wake him up, but we should probably get ready to go._

I lean back to the edge, so as not to be directly over him when he wakes.

"Inuyasha?" I say softly. Immediately, his ears start to twitch like little radars. I giggle aloud. "Time to wake up, pup." He sucks in a breath as his eyes snap open. I snicker, "That caught your attention!"

"Don't call me 'pup', wench." He glares at me as he quickly sits up and moves away from the bed.

"I don't know… I think it's only fair that every time you call me a name, I get to call you one in return!" I laugh as I swing my legs over the side of the bed. I stand and stretch, a light squeal leaving my lips.

"Life ain't always fair." He shoots back.

"It can be when you let it." I retort.

His reply is formed by mimicking my voice and muttering my words in a very 'blah blah blah' manner. I nearly snort. _How could Kagome ever actually get_ _ **mad**_ _at this? It's hilarious! He's trying so hard to annoy me it's_ _ **funny**_ _!_

"Anyways, I need to get stuff ready for travel. Just give me a little bit, okay?" I move to my dresser and start pulling out clothes that I would consider needing.

I plan to mainly wear my miko robes, washed and folded on top of my dresser, but I'll need to bring pairs of underwear, an extra shirt and pants— _just in case_ — a small blanket, a brush, a bathing suit— _literally_ — some matches— _gotta steal some of Mom's hairspray for the toad youkai—_ one of my switchblades, socks— _my tennis shoes will do fine—_ some soap— _I don't think I could live without it_ — a rag for using the bathroom— _I'm really gonna miss toilet paper_ — some of my bandages and band-aids, some disinfectant, my watch— _set to his time_ — a flashlight— _don't forget the batteries!_ — my phone— _I'm gonna need to buy myself an actual camera if I want to take pictures—_ and some water bottles. Thinking of water reminds me that at some point I should probably buy a water filter soon. _Is there anything else I could possibly need?_

"Yo, Inuyasha," I call back to him after packing my mental list of necessities into my never-before-used camping pack. _Thank goodness Grandpa bought me this to 'go visit the outdoors more'. He has no idea…_ "Is there anything you can think of that I could possibly need while travelling?"

 _Oh, an umbrella would be good!_ I run to grab my small polka-dotted umbrella in the corner.

"What're you askin' me for? 'S not like _I_ need anything out in the wilderness a puny human like you would need."

"Well, you're gonna have to be keeping an eye out for said 'puny human', so I recommend you think of something that I could possibly need if something were to happen." I reply in monotone. I hear an audible gulp behind me. _Course that'll get your attention._

"Uhh, I- um… Let's see…" I turn around and wait expectantly with my arms lazily crossed. "Something to keep warm?"

"Check."

"And I can drink anything without getting sick, but you…"

"Check."

He looks surprised by that answer, but he quickly brushes it off by continuing, "In case of rain?"

"Check."

"I'm not really sure what else there—" He stops, eyes wide, and slowly turns to look at me.

"What?" I question.

"N-nothing. That should be everything, let's go." He quickly stands and attempts to leave the room.

"Inu _yasha_ ," He freezes, ears twitching wildly. "What were you going to say?"

"I wasn't gonna say nothin', woman!" He snaps as he turns to me, his face red.

"Inuyasha, you can tell me anything. What on Earth could you possibly be thinking that'd you'd be afraid to tell me?" I walk up to him, speaking soothingly, and his tense stance relaxes. "Go on, what was it?"

He shuffles his feet and crosses his arms, averting my eyes all the while. His words are hesitant, "What if… During our journey… You start your… M-monthly cycle?"

 _Holy shit, I didn't even think of that!_

"Oh my God, you're right! That would've been a disaster!" I clasp my hands against my cheeks dramatically. "I'm so glad you thought of that! Thank you!" And as the last of his tension leaves his body with a sigh of relief, I run to my bathroom to gather a handful of pads and tampons. My period definitely isn't regular, and the chance of me getting it any time soon is low, but with my cycle, I _never know_.

I use the restroom real quick, then I go out to pack them up and move to get dressed into my miko outfit. Already I'm getting the hang of donning the kosode and hakui. _Practice makes perfect!_

"Alright, all done! Let's get something to eat downstairs, and I need to get some water while we're down there, too. Then we can leave. Do you have to use the bathroom before we go, or would you rather do that in your world?" I say as I open the door. I hush my voice.

"I'll do that when I need to…" He mutters.

"Alright then," I shrug. "Let's go. Stay quiet."

He nods and follows me down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I turn on the lights and head to the fridge.

"Hmm, let's see… Not much to choose from, but…" I turn to glance at him, a question grazing my tongue, and I nearly jump a foot to see him standing directly behind me. I almost squealed. _Almost_. After regaining my composure, and ignoring his smug grin, I continue as though nothing happened, "Would you mind eating fruit? We don't have much here, we can eat something else there later, if you want."

"Fine. Whaddya got?" He asks, keeping his volume at a minimum.

"I have green and red apples, bananas, and some strawberries," I grab the plastic container of strawberries from the fridge and bring them to the bowl of fruit on the counter. "Do you have any of these in Japan?"

"Nope. Are they good?"

I shrug. "Personally, I don't really like fruit, but I'll eat a green apple if I need to. Wanna try one of each? I'll give you a whole one of whatever ones you like most."

He leans in close and sniffs at the bowl. "They smell alright. Sure, I'll try 'em."

I nod, and after taking off the green stem, I hand him a strawberry. "These are strawberries. They can be sweet or sour, depending on their ripeness. Pop the whole thing in, and if you don't like it, just go spit it out in that black bin over there." I motion towards the trashcan. He eats it and slowly chews, contemplating the new taste. Surprise etches his features.

He swallows. "That… Was weird." He mumbles.

I stifle a giggle, and I hand him a red apple. "Just bite into the side. These are sweet apples. The green ones are sour. Oh, and don't eat the core."

He nods and takes a fair-sized bite. A pleasant 'hmm' rumbles inside his mouth as he swallows. "Not bad. I don't think I'd like the sour ones, though." He eyes the bowl warily. I wave him off.

"Don't worry, you don't have to try it," I assure him. I grab a perfectly yellow banana and peel it for him. He looks at it like it's a treat. "So, this is a banana, and they're pretty sweet… And what's with the ogling?"

He snaps out of it, and I realize his nose had been flaring. "U-uh, sorry, it just smells good."

I smile in return. "Then take a bite! I actually don't like bananas, so you can take the whole thing." I offer him the pale fruit.

He gently takes it out of my grasp and takes a small bite off the tip.

I'm pretty sure I just witnessed hearts floating around him.

"You like it?" I chuckle quietly.

He nods absently and takes a larger bite. I leave him be and take a green apple for myself. I put up the strawberries, and I grab the bitten red apple, as well.

"I'm gonna write a note for my mom, and then we'll leave." I say, holding out the apple to him.

He takes the apple without a thought and nods, finishing the last of the banana. _Pretty sure that was love at first whiff._

I grab a pen out of a drawer and a piece of notebook paper,

 _Mom-_

 _We had some fruit for breakfast, and I'm all safely packed. I have weapons, and a medical kit (mostly for him). If you can call the school and help me drop out, or possibly get me into online schooling, it would be much appreciated. We have a schedule to keep. Love you!_

 _Madison_

 _Perfect_. I rest the note on the counter and motion for Inuyasha to follow. He tosses the peel and the already-eaten apple's core into the trash as I open the backdoor.

I take the rosary off my wrist and show it to him. He lets me put it on without any hesitance, and I smile at the small show of trust.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

"Oi, jiji, are you _positive_ we're going the right way?" I ask the ancient flea once again.

"Yes, I'm positive! Now hush and keep running!" He answers into my left ear, gripping my hair.

 _You are_ _ **so**_ _lucky my hands are occupied…_

"Inuyasha, remember that we're looking for a fairly large body of water nearby this village. Nobunaga should be nearby resting under a tree in the morning." Moriko reminds me from her spot on my back.

"Yeah, yeah, I've been keeping a nose out." I reply.

She giggles almost silently, but I decide to say 'fuck it' and not give a damn.

"By the way…" She starts.

"Yeah?" I call back.

"I had a great dream last night… Did you?" Her voice echoes with an odd sweetness.

Her voice isn't very feminine, so hearing her tone like that nearly has me dropping the girl.

"Y-yeah, I guess." I mutter.

She hums in response. I'm guessing she didn't really hear me but got the message all the same.

"Last night? But it is still night, my lord! I thought you only just returned." Myoga pipes up.

"Her world has a different set of time than we do, Myoga. That's why we aren't camping for the night. We're just going to wait for him."

My moment's distraction nearly has me missing the slightest whiff of fresh water.

"Found it!" I change course, shifting slightly left and through a small forest. It doesn't take me long to start smelling the scent of a male and… Is… Is that a _monkey_? "Uh, Moriko?"

"Yeah?" I slow down and let her off my back. "What is it?"

"Why am I smelling monkey?"

She giggles softly. "It's his pet, Hiiiii— yoshimaru, I think… Wait, does that mean he's already there?"

"Who knows, maybe he's camping." I reply back. "And who the Hell has a monkey for a companion?" I utter lowly.

"Nobunaga does." She says seriously. I send her a glare, and she falls into a fit of giggles.

" _Hilarious_." I groan. I start moving in the man's direction, trying to be loud to give the guy fair warning.

" _He's a little on the clumsy and anxious side, actually. Not the best warrior, but he has a strong will."_

 _Hmph, 'strong will'. What's that even supposed to mean?_

"Who's there?!" A young man's voice rings out.

"Some friends!" Moriko yells back.

"… Friends?" He peeks his head around the tree we're heading towards. A monkey's head follows soon after.

"Yup! We're here to help Tsuyu-hime, as well. Her husband has been possessed by a toad youkai with a Shikon shard, and, as you know, he's been stealing away the girls of the nearby villages." She walks towards him and bends slightly, hands on her knees.

"You're a miko… With a…" He glances at my ears with evident surprise. "A _hanyou_ companion?"

 _Well, damn… Smarter than he looks… He knew I'm not a complete youkai._

"Mhm! I'm the miko in charge of the Shikon no tama, and this is my friend and guardian, Inuyasha." She smiles and motions towards me as I move to stand next to her.

 _Lemme guess, he's gonna go and call her a 'kuro-miko' now or some shit._

"Amazing!" _Wait, what?_ "I'm humbled that such a powerful duo would offer their assistance. Please, any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, Inuyasha-sama and… Your name, miko-sama?"

"Moriko. And please, drop the -sama, Amari. I am no greater a person than you."

The guy flushes instantly and drops his head in a small bow. "I'm flattered a miko would say such a thing to a simple warrior such as I."

"Don't be, she's not your average miko." I cross my arms and cast her a quick glance. _That should get her riled up a bit._

"Well, he's right about that, I'm not an average miko. I've never had any training before!" She laughs. _Kami be damned!_

My eye twitches continuously as Nobunaga sports a look of disbelief. "But, if you are the miko in charge of the Shikon no tama, you must be powerful, right? Surely?"

"I guess to a point. I have a strong aura, I just don't really know how to use my reiki professionally." She offers her hand to him. "Besides, the toad youkai doesn't need to be defeated by purification, just by heat, and I have supplies on hand that can easily take care of that problem."

"How on Earth do you know all of this?" He asks.

"She's a seer."

"I'm a psychic."

We look at each other simultaneously, eyebrows raised in surprise. She giggles softly behind her hand.

"I'm assuming those are the same thing?" Nobunaga raises a single brow in question, regaining our attention.

"Yeah, my bad, I have a… _Different_ vocabulary than most know of." Moriko mumbles hesitantly. _Not exactly a lie._ I chuckle inwardly.

"I would suppose so. You have some similarities to ourselves, but you look almost completely foreign. Tell me, where do you reign from, Moriko-san?"

She motions for him to stand. "We'll talk on the way. I assume you know the location of her castle?"

He reddens, embarrassment rolling off of his suddenly tense form. "Y-yes, only for the reason of rescue, of course!"

"Don't worry, we know you're in love with her." Moriko chuckles. "Nothing wrong with that, my good man."

I didn't think his cheeks could get any darker.

I was wrong.

 _Again_.

"Please, say no such thing in front of the princess, Moriko-san, if you will." He mumbles.

"Of course, Amari. Now, let's get a move on. Lead the way, we'll be right beside you."

 _Beside him, huh? Like… Equals?_

* * *

 **Moriko**

"So… You reign from a mixed country across the sea?" He questions.

"Yep." I reply, plucking flower petals from a nearby daisy I picked.

"And it _isn't_ the mainland?"

"Nope. It's in the other direction. The mainland is West of here. Mine is East." I explain.

"And while you are of Asian descent—"

"I also have European descent. That's where I get my hair and eye color. I'm sure the Dutch have landed already? Or at least, sometime soon. They're from Europe, too."

"Incredible. Truly remarkable!"

"Eh, it's not that big of a deal where I'm from, though considering how closed off Japan is compared to other countries, I'm not really surprised by your reaction."

"We're nearby." Inuyasha mumbles.

"Great! It's on top of a cliffside, so you'll have to carry us, if that's alright with you? Just this once." I turn towards him, my hands clasped together pleadingly.

He looks startled at my begging posture. "I-I guess?"

"Awesome! I'm glad you're so strong. That'll help us get up there _way_ faster."

"Keh, use me like your carrier, huh?" He growls, crossing his arms.

" _Keh_ ," He reels back at my mimic. "More like friends doing favors for friends." I laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, if that's what you call it, wench."

"You permit him to speak to you in such a way?!" Amari gasps, aghast.

"It's just his personality. No harm in it. I tease him just as much as he teases me, so it's only fair." I grin. "Isn't that right, _pup_?"

A growl is my only answer, and I can't help but start laughing.

"Inuyasha-san was correct, you are an odd miko." Amari mumbles.

"Hey, only I can say that!" Inuyasha waves his fist towards the man on my left, and I have to hold back a snort. _Territorial over the right to criticize someone, really?_

"Enough of the chit-chat you three. We must hurry to rescue Tsuyu-hime and the other village girls! _ACK_!" Myoga jumps onto my shoulder to avoid Inuyasha's fist.

"Ask nicely, flea, and I might consider actually listening!" Inuyasha gets near my shoulder as Myoga shrieks and scrambles to hide in my hair. "Pfft, coward."

"He is right, though," I turn towards him, drawing his gaze to my own. "We should hurry." I pause to survey the cliffside ahead of us. "Hmm, less than a mile away, really. Let's speed up just a bit."

I start speed walking, and soon Amari and Inuyasha are right next to me. Amari seems to have an easy enough time keeping up with my near jogging form, but Inuyasha, surprisingly, seems to be holding back instead of just going in front of me like I would expect.

 _I wonder why?_

* * *

 **Nobunaga**

A hanyou, a miko, and a flea youkai all willingly came to help me with Tsuyu's rescue. Not even just going by themselves, not even leaving me behind, but they actually came to pick me up beforehand.

I feel as though Inuyasha doesn't really want me here, but Moriko-san has been wonderfully pleasant towards us both. She honestly doesn't seem to treat him any differently, and surprisingly seems truly comfortable in his presence. By the Kami, I think she may even _enjoy_ it, if his "teasing" actually makes her _laugh_ with a genuine smile.

 _I wonder how many shinshoku and miko are mortified by her acts specifically…_

Not only are her actions strange, her features are quite unique. Of course, she _is_ from a foreign country… But what of her _height_? _She's nearly the same height as Inuyasha… And she's… Taller than_ _ **me**_ _._

Another feature of her country's people, or herself? Who knows…

But now is not the time to dwell on such things. Tsuyu needs me.

"But I don't wanna carry him!"

"Inuyasha, it's literally for a single fucking jump."

 _Again, I wonder if the spirits of all holy people are appalled by this woman._

"But—!"

"No buts! Besides, you already said you would! Now _let's go_." Moriko turns to me with a new smile on her face. "Ready to go save your friend?"

"Of course, but…" I gulp as I glance at the glowering hanyou behind the smiling girl. "He won't drop me, will he?"

"Of course not! He's just grumpy." She waves her hand dismissively.

"Am not!" He barks.

"See? Grumpy." She snickers. _Such a strange duo_. "Alright, let's go."

Inuyasha heaves a sigh and turns his back to us, crouching down. "Moriko gets on first, alright?"

"R-right." _Damn, I didn't mean to stutter._

Moriko just smiles, her eyes squinting closed, and turns away to climb upon his back. _She does it so naturally… Do they do this often?! It seems so…_ _ **Personal**_ _._

I follow behind her and awkwardly climb upon his back to Moriko's left. For some reason, she moves her left hand to hover near his head. _You can do this, Amari! He's strong! He won't drop—_ A startled shriek leaves my throat as he leaps straight up, the edge of the cliffside quickly nearing us. Apparently, she was prepared for my panic and covered his ears before the sound barely left my lips.

 _How considerate of her!_

 _And how utterly embarrassing for me…_ _I pray this night ends soon._

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

I cannot thank the Kami any more than I have this past week for this woman.

I didn't even think of him screaming in surprise at my jump, but she saw it coming— _maybe a seer thing, again? —_ and covered my ears before the sound even reached them.

We land, and as Moriko easily steps down from my back, Nobunaga drops down on his ass. _Clumsy._

"Inuyasha-sama," Myoga jumps back onto my head and quietly whispers into my ear, as Moriko turns to help up the ground-bound samurai. "You should definitely consider thanking Moriko-sama for such a small gesture. I'm sure it would greatly please her to know that you noticed."

I grunt quietly to say I got the message.

"Alright, so, all of the guards are under a sleeping spell, so if we remain quiet, this should go fine." She points to a building nearby. "First, let's go free the women in that storehouse over there. They've been put into feeding sacs of some kind. Come on!"

She takes off at a light jog towards the building, and I quickly catch up to her in a single leap, Nobunaga following right behind. Moriko swings open the storehouse door and steps inside. I nearly gag at the smell of odd fluids and a _mass_ amount of bodies. _Living_ bodies!

"Holy shit, they're alive?" I mutter in awe, staring at the huge amount of nude women and girls floating around in jelly-like sacs.

"They are? I sure was hoping so! Come on, you two help me free them, it shouldn't take long with the three of us." And with that, she drops her bag at the entrance, unsheathes Yura's old katana, and runs to the back of the building to start slicing open the sacs.

"Right!" Nobunaga runs past me, unsheathing his own katana, and joins Moriko in ripping open the eggs.

"Make sure to check if they're breathing. If not, tell me!" She calls from the back.

"Got it!" I reply back. I stick to using my claws, and soon, we're more than halfway through freeing all of the girls from their prison.

I open up another of a younger girl, likely on the verge of her tenth or eleventh spring.

And she's not breathing.

 _But she's not dead._

"Moriko! She's not breathing!"

"Oh, hold on! I'm coming! Is she alive?" She runs up to me, wiping her katana on her hakama and sheathing it.

"Barely." I reply curtly, eyeing her. _Just what the Hell is she gonna do?_

"Alright, gimme a second. I'll see if I can get her breathing again." She mumbles. She moves to the right side of the girl as I stand on the left. "God, she's so small…" She whispers.

I nod, but she doesn't notice. She turns the girl to rest on her back, and my lungs freeze at the striking resemblance to a girl I haven't seen since before even my twentieth year.

" _Makiko was such a sweet child… My little girl… You did not deserve this fate."_

I shake my head and close my eyes, surprised I still even remember how she looked. Though very few faces ever stuck with me throughout those years, that girl, even just seeing her alive for one day and dead the next, changed my view of the world quite quickly.

Her death is one I couldn't possibly forget. Besides, I was the one who buried her.

I was the one who gave her a marked grave with her name etched in from my own claws.

And I wasn't the one who tossed her into a _fucking river_.

I open my eyes and try to concentrate on Moriko's actions, praying for my curiosity to override my earliest memories. Thankfully, it works.

She rests her palms at the center of the girl's chest and begins to press at a steady beat. The girl convulses for a moment but doesn't take a breath.

"Alright then." She mutters. She holds the girls nose, and I nearly jump out of my skin when her lips close around the girl's mouth. I immediately calm when I then notice her cheeks puffing out, and the girl's chest expands. _She's breathing into her?_

As soon as she lets up and lets go, the girl starts coughing up the strange jelly-like liquid, gasping for air. For some reason, unlike the others, who're still unconscious, she immediately wakes up. "Where… Where am I?"

"Hold on, sweetie, we'll explain when we return, but right now, you're safest here." Moriko helps her sit up, and she quickly takes off her hakui. "Here, put this on, little one."

The girl wordlessly accepts the cloth and wraps it around her shoulders. She looks back at Moriko, blinking a few times. "You're… You're a miko?"

"I am. My name is Moriko. And what might your name be?" Moriko stealthily shoos me away to continue helping Nobunaga free the last few women, and I leave, my ears remaining tuned into their conversation.

"Haia."

"Well, Haia, you are in a castle that has been taken over by a _weak_ youkai, so don't be afraid," Moriko shoots her a dazzling smile. "You have three strong people to protect you all."

The girl visibly relaxes and gives her a small grin in return. "Okay."

"I'm assuming the youkai's spell didn't work on you very well because you're so young. I'm glad for this gel's consistency, or else you surely would have suffocated much sooner." Moriko stands and walks over to us as Nobunaga slices open the last sac. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." I mutter.

"Ready!"

"Alright, let's go." Moriko turns to Haia as she picks up her bag. "When everyone wakes up, tell them that they mustn't leave until we come to escort them out. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"

Haia quickly nods her head. "Yes, Moriko-sama."

"Thank you, Haia. Myoga, would you mind biting each woman to wake them?"

"Oh, of course, I'd be honored to assist!" He jumps from my shoulder and onto the wooden floorboards.

"Thank you, Myoga." She waves as she exits, and after she shuts the doors behind her, she starts for the main castle. "Alright, so they are in the master bedroom, which is connected to the outside garden. I'm sure we can find them quickly, but we must remain silent. He may threaten her."

"So," Nobunaga runs up next to us as we start walking at a quick pace. "What exactly do you have in mind to rid of the toad youkai?"

"Heat," She replies. "I have a container of flammable liquid and a fire source in my pack, and if I aim it in his direction, the youkai will try and run for it by escaping his body." She turns to me then. "Have Tessaiga ready and slice him clean down the middle if you can, head to tail. The shard will fall right out."

I nod an affirmative. We continue for a few moments more when I start to smell the slightest traces of amphibian and female. I gently stop her movements. "We're nearby. What's the plan?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"Try and draw him out, away from Tsuyu-hime," She answers. She drops her bag and begins to rummage through it. After a moment, she pulls out a strange container and a small box. She turns to face Nobunaga. "Amari, after we draw him into the hallway, enter in through the area we're about to come upon, take Tsuyu, and keep her outside."

"Understood, Moriko-san. You can count on me!" He rests his hand across his chest and slightly bows his head.

"Okay, let's do this then." Moriko grins confidently. She picks up her pack again and pauses, then turns to me. "Do you think you can slice off a piece of your fire-rat for me to wrap around my hand?"

"Why?" I can't help but ask, for what could she possibly need my suikan for?

"It's possible I may completely scorch my hand with this. It'll be a huge burst of flames, so I'd rather play it safe." She replies nonchalantly.

"Idiot! That's _way_ too dangerous, even with my fire-rat! Just let me do it, my skin doesn't burn easily with natural fire." I snatch the box and container from her before she can say 'no'. "Now, on our way, tell me how to use it. You've got a weapon, you can slice him just as easily, can't you?"

* * *

 **Moriko**

After leaving Amari back at the garden, Inuyasha and I head through a random entrance and begin walking the hallways of the castle towards the master bedroom.

I lean my head towards his own. "Don't worry about being loud when walking, we just don't want him to know how many of us there are, so let's keep our voices down." I whisper.

"'Kay." He mutters in return. We walk about ten feet more when he stops and readies his 'weapons'. "He's on his way."

I nod and unsheathe my sword, and Inuyasha uncaps the hairspray and takes out a match, ready to light it. We put up a stance as the sound of slapping feet comes scurrying down the hallway on our left.

My first thought when seeing this toad youkai exit the hallway around the corner and enter our line of sight?

 _That thing is ugly as_ _ **fuck**_ _, even with the bandages on its face!_

"How the Hell did she _not_ know it wasn't the prince?" I utter in disbelief. _This brings a whole new meaning to the term 'toad prince'._

"You! Who are you and what are you doing in my castle?!" He begins stalking forward 'threateningly'.

"Two people who are here to save the girls you captured! Now can you walk a bit closer?" I speak up loudly, a sly edge to my voice.

Inuyasha looks at me with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I merely want them for myself, what does it matter to you? Now leave! I will slaughter you and the villagers for interfering!" He yells, moving closer.

"Wow, what a threat. I'm _so_ scared!" Inuyasha groans sarcastically, and I struggle to contain a choke of laughter.

The youkai shouts in frustration and begins to run— ehem, _waddle_ — towards us.

I wait until he's roughly seven feet away before I shout, "Now!"

I push my back to the wall as Inuyasha strikes the match and aims towards the youkai. It pauses in its movements, and I can see comprehension beginning to enter his eyes. _Too late_.

Inuyasha sprays the can once, the fire bursting in his hands and a line of flames dancing towards the frozen toad.

It starts to scream and writhe as the single ignition of flames combust his clothing and skin, the bandages turning to ash as well.

His image slowly begins to morph from the swollen form to a more human shape, the youkai slithering out of the prince's chest and darting towards Inuyasha, his arms lowering and waiting, trusting me to hit my mark.

I swing my katana like a bat while also attempting to channel a bit of reiki into it, as well.

As the edge of the blade touches the tip of the youkai's snout, I shiver at the odd feeling of the weapon slicing through something soft and fleshy, but before I know it, the feeling ends. I watch the body I'm halfway through slicing turn into a pile of sparkly dust just as I reach the glow of the shard in its stomach.

"Woah…" I whisper softly.

"You used your reiki with the katana?" Inuyasha moves to stand next to me, his gaze travelling from the fallen shard to my previously-glowing weapon. "I didn't even know miko could use anything other than arrows."

"Not at all. Midoriko actually used a tsurugi to fight with, which is to be expected, considering how ancient she is."

"I suppose." He mumbles. I leave the wall and reach down to pick up the Shikon shard.

"Well, now we have two! Only a shit ton more to go…" I chuckle mirthlessly.

"Well, let's not just hang around then! Come on, I want outta here." He huffs, handing me the can and matchbox with unscathed hands, and turns to walk to the master bedroom.

He stops before the human man struggling to rise from the floor. The prince blinks a few times, now noticing the bare feet in front of him, and slowly raises his head to meet Inuyasha's gaze.

"You… You were the one who saved me, correct?" He whispers the question with a tone of amazement.

"I don't ca—" Inuyasha begins, but I cut him off, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, we both were the ones to save you, and your wife, as well. She is with an old friend of hers currently, safe and sound."

The prince takes in my outfit and Inuyasha's non-human appearance, and quickly bows, his forehead touching the ground. "T-thank you so much! I am forever in your debt for saving our lives!"

Inuyasha tenses, and I turn my head to see his eyes wide with shock. _This poor boy is not used to gratitude at all._

 _I hope I can change that._

"Please, your debt is already paid, ouji-sama. The youkai had a shard of the Shikon jewel, which was another reason why we had to come, not only to rescue you and the village girls, but to regain this shard, as well. A win-win situation, I must say." I giggle softly. "Now please, stand, and let us go gather your wife and the village women."

* * *

Sunlight was just beginning to breach the horizon when we returned to the garden. Amari was pleased to see his childhood love so happy when her husband returned, but I couldn't miss the sadness hiding behind his façade.

We left around twenty minutes ago, the women clothed in simple yukatas. Haia is still in just my hakui, since she was too small to fit Tsuyu's or any of the female servants' wardrobes.

The small girl holds onto my hand as we walk the dirt path down the hillside, escorting each woman to her respective village. Thankfully, it's now dawn, and there's only three nearby villages, so it shouldn't be too time consuming.

During our walk, I found out that Haia is just _nine_ years-old, but because of the start of her menstrual cycle, she's considered a 'woman'. Oh, how utterly _alarming_.

I had sent Inuyasha a horrified look at her answer, and while he looked unsettled, he didn't look surprised.

As I'm thinking about possibly having a chat with her family once we return to the village, Inuyasha leaps away and darts about the trees, checking for any nearby threats, no doubt. Some of the women flinch in fear when he passes them, and while I understand their fear of youkai in general, the fact that he is currently being feared while in the process of protecting them riles me up just a bit.

 _Whew, calm down. They're just a bunch of terrified girls. Don't look too much into it… Now, if the villagers start saying anything…_

 _Oooh, shit will hit the fan, for sure._

He lands back next to me, confirming our safety, at the moment. Haia, Inuyasha, and I are walking at the back of the line of women, while Amari and the eldest of the girls walk in the front, leading the way to the villages.

I feel a tug on my right hand and look down to the girl. "Yes, Haia?"

"Moriko-chan," _I'm so glad I asked her to stop using -sama— she sounds so cute!_ "My feet hurt. And I'm tired." She whines pitifully.

"Would you like me to carry you?" I ask softly. _Understandably so, she nearly suffocated and has been awake without a break since then. The other women were under the spell more so than she was._

"Please?" She whispers.

"I can carry her."

I glance over at my hanyou friend on my left as he looks my way expectantly. "You would?" I whisper almost silently, for only him to hear.

He nods gently, and I give him one of my biggest smiles. He slightly flushes and turns his face away. "What? You'll get tired. I won't. It only makes sense," He grumbles under his breath, and even softer he adds, "Besides, it's the least I can do after what you did for me earlier."

My smile morphs to confusion as I ponder what he could mean, when Myoga, fat, full, and resting on my right shoulder, whispers into my ear, "He means for his ears, Moriko-sama."

My eyes widen in understanding, and I find myself smiling again at his way of saying 'thank you'. _Ah, yes. Always a man of actions._

"Of course." I reply back, and I turn to Haia. "Is it alright if Inuyasha carries you? He's very strong."

She leans forward to look around me, and he eyes her, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. She grins up at him, and then at me. "Okay! He seems nice."

I audibly hear him suck in a breath at that, and once again, I find disbelief etched into his features.

"Well, go on then. Would you like him to carry you on his back on in his arms?" I ask with a smile.

Her smile broadens. "Back, please!" She claps excitedly. I laugh at her response and look over at Inuyasha.

He gets the message and walks forward a bit faster and squats, his hands resting on his back for her to sit. She silently screams and rushes away from my side to climb upon him. He hoists her up a bit higher for her arms to wrap around his neck, and my heart instantly warms at the sight.

 _I get the feeling little girls must be a weakness of his,_ I giggle to myself.

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

At first, it was odd having the girl on my back, and it was even odder when I found myself offering to carry her in the first place.

I was more nervous by her reaction, but her comment about how 'nice' I seemed quickly calmed me.

It both eased and frightened me with how identical she is to Makiko, even by her actions.

 _Maybe… A reincarnation of hers?_

If so, I'm amazed that it'd be possible for me to cross paths with her, by saving her life _again_ , in another life of hers.

 _But it may not even be her anyway, so why am I worrying about it?_

And with that thought, I decide to just _let go_ for once, without caring about who's watching. If it is her, then I'm going to make sure that this life of hers remembers me the same way her past one did, and I don't give a damn about who knows.

"Hey, kid."

Her head raises up at my question. "Yes?"

"Moriko and I over there often do something that's both fun and scary when she's on my back… Are you scared of heights?" I ask, anticipation making my heart speed up.

She's silent for a moment, and then gasps softly. "You mean… You run around like you did earlier with her on your back?" She whispers in awe.

I look towards my right at Moriko, and she shoots me a wink with a wide grin that gives me a bit more confidence.

"Yup," I reply. "Would you want to?"

She answers me by tightening her arms around my neck and giggling, "Yes!"

I smirk, gripping her legs a bit tighter, and I leap with a minimal amount of force.

Her squeal of joy only fuels my confidence, and I start to leap all across the surrounding trees. As I jump over a group of the women, I hear gasps of horror, but they're soon drowned out by the small girl laughing upon my back. At the sound of her laughter, the scent of fear leaves the area as quickly as it came, and I exhale in relief.

I pass over Moriko suddenly, and I look down to meet her gaze, the look on her face cheering me on.

I didn't know… I _never_ knew… Just how pleasant the sound of wholesome happiness could really be.

People laughing for sadistic reasons and enjoying themselves at the pain of another are all sounds I've gone through my life knowing, and they can't even _begin_ to compare to the sound of pure elation.

 _Yeah, this is a lot better._

* * *

I bite back a groan as Moriko sighs again. She had one Hell of a time arguing with the headman of the village. At first, simply because I was carrying Haia. Someone was _bound_ to make a comment about the 'disgusting half-breed' at _some point_. And she knew it, too, cause she was _prepared_.

She went off on a rant about how if it weren't for me, all of the girls captured would have had not only their bodies, but their _souls_ devoured. At first, I thought she was exaggerating a bit, until later she explained that it was me who: brought us here in time, found Nobunaga, got us up the cliffside, and exorcised the youkai in the first place. That's when I realized she meant that if I _hadn't been there_ , then she surely would have either been too late, captured, lost, or injured by her own fire weapon.

I nearly snorted at the headman's face when their savior, 'Miko-sama', scolded him like a disobedient child, and his face contorted even more so when Haia, after giving Moriko a parting hug, came to hug my own waist.

I'll have to admit that my own face was probably as surprised as his own, truthfully.

The second reason she yelled at the headman was when it became known, according to Haia's parents, that _he_ was the one that forced them to send Haia, despite the fact that she was only just beginning to enter into womanhood.

"Bastard." She mutters under her breath, and she shakes her head side to side in annoyance.

"Well, you sure showed him, at least." I chuckle.

She rolls her eyes and laughs along with me, "Yeah, I guess I did."

We're walking back to Kaede's village, since the day is nice and surprisingly warm. Nobunaga is walking next to me, but he's been silent since we even left the castle. Dejection present in his entire frame, he trudges along next to us, not making a peep.

Apparently, Moriko is just as tired of it as I am. She walks around behind me and comes to walk in between him and I.

"Amari, I know you're sad, but I'm sure you can find love again in the future. Tsuyu was simply not meant to be yours, my friend."

He sighs and nods. "I understand, Moriko-san, but it still hurts." He pauses and then smiles slightly. "At least… She wants to remain as my friend. She and her husband even offered me to drop by whenever I like, should I ever desire a place to stay or to have human company."

"That's great! And you're free to drop by our village whenever you like, as well, you know. We may not always be there, but Kaede would probably enjoy the company whenever we have to leave, anyway."

"The elder miko of your village, correct?" He asks.

We both nod an affirmative. He seems to ponder Moriko's invitation for a moment, then he gently nods to himself. "Sure, I'll accept your offer, my friends, but for now, I should probably continue my wandering."

My ears perk at the plural form of 'friend'.

"Great! It was nice meeting you, Amari," Moriko stops us to bow in front of him. "And I sure hope to see you again!"

"Likewise, Moriko-san, Inuyasha-san." He replies with a bow of his own.

I hum a reply and nod my head. That seems to satisfy him.

"Come on, Hiyoshimaru, it is time for us to part." And with a lasting wave, he walks towards the West as we head south towards Kaede's village.

"Well, he sure was nice, wasn't he?" She grins. Before I get to answer, she continues, "I sure hope he does fall in love again someday. Good people always deserve lifetime companions, I feel like. Loneliness can break even the hardiest of souls."

 _Well, she's not_ _ **wrong**_ _._

"I guess." I answer lowly.

"You surely are not wrong, Moriko-sama. Why, I remember when Inuyasha-sama was just— ACK!" I cut off Myoga by flicking him off my shoulder.

"Loudmouthed bastard…" I growl.

Moriko just shakes her head, snickering behind her hand. I scoff, a slight upturn of my lips appearing, as well.

"So, Moriko," I start, a slight lilt to my voice.

She looks surprised, probably because I used her name in a non-serious manner. "Yes, Inuyasha?"

"What's next on our— what'd you call it?— 'to do list'?"

She giggles and gestures her hands dramatically. " _Well_ , I'm so glad you asked!"

* * *

A/N

Hope you all loved the cuteness!

Next chapter enters Shippo!


	12. A Kitsune Trick with a Side of Thunder

I apologize for the short chapter, but I wanted the meeting and the fight to be separate chapters.

Either way, woo! Sorry for the wait, I've been working 3 jobs and I have college finals, so Ive been a little stressed.

No idea when the next chapter will be posted, but it will be sometime this month, preferably once school is out next week.

Enjoy!

Also, I wanted to say a huge thank you to the guest reviewer, Shanae. I meant to put this in the previous chapter but totally forgot in my haste.  
I cried after reading that review and lemme just say I really love reviews and if you like this story, I'd love to hear your thoughts, truly!

 **Disclaimer _:_ Rumiko owns the Inu characters blahblahblah**

* * *

Chapter 8: A Kitsune Trick with a Side of Thunder

 **Inuyasha**

"This really is one Hell of a battlefield…" Moriko mutters to herself, looking out in disgust at the reddened prairie as we pass by scattered bodies.

"No kidding. And you said it was the cause of the Thunder Brothers?"

After Nobunaga's departure, we were originally going to return to Kaede's; that is, until Myoga caught the scent of blood not far away, and soon, I was able to smell it, too. She was in the process of talking about our new kitsune recruit, Shippo, and our imminent fight with the Thunder Brothers, when Myoga had interrupted.

It wasn't until the pungent reek of blood and scorched flesh got to the point of _overpowering_ that I realized it was _fresh_. Not stale, like it should have been from Moriko's vision. When I told her so, she looked shocked.

" _By God, if we had stayed at the castle longer, we probably would have passed right by it…"_

 _And if we had left earlier, we could've stopped it._

When I looked her way, her expression had dropped slightly, and I could tell she was feeling like she had failed in some way.

" _Things happen for a reason. Didn't you say some of the girl's souls were supposed to be devoured?"_

She gently nodded, her eyes meeting mine.

" _And yet they didn't, because of your plan."_

And though she didn't answer, her grateful look was enough.

"Yeah, which means…" She trails off and begins to look around as we stop next to a pile of scattered boulders. "He's scared of us, I'm sure. A miko, and a hanyou with youki as massive as yours? I'm gonna try and call to him so he knows we're harmless."

"Whatever." I sit on one of the boulders and cross my arms, the stench of blood and burnt bodies actually starting to make me queasy. At least, I try to convince myself it's the smell. Her compliment caught me off guard.

She ignores me and places a hand to the corner of her mouth, "Shippo! I know you're out there! It's okay to come out, we won't hurt you! We're here to help you avenge your father!"

"Well, damn, you just had to go right out and say it, didn't you?" I say in disbelief. _Forward much?_

"What? I'm just being honest!" She argues back.

I shake my head slowly. "Sometimes, I worry about you one day being _too_ honest, wench."

"Oh, please, I know when to lie," She scowls, cocking a hip. She crosses her arms and starts tapping a foot. "Shippo! Sweetie, I need you to come out. I'm a seer, that's why I know about you! I promise that you're safe with us!"

A loud pop catches both of us off-guard, and I peer behind her as she turns to the small puff of smoke. Auburn hair and shades of blue and tan make up the small boy. He stares up at Moriko in amazement as she squats down to be eye level.

"You're… Here to defeat the Thunder Brothers?" He asks shyly.

She nods her head and holds out her right hand towards him. "Yes, and to avenge your father, and the lives of many others." She cocks her head to the side when he hesitates to reach out. "My name is Moriko, and the man behind me is my friend, Inuyasha. We're here to help."

He looks back up at her at that, and shooting a small grin, he shuffles forward a bit and grasps her hand.

"Moriko-sama, how can you forget me!?" Myoga pitifully cries as he bounds off my shoulder towards Moriko.

"Oh! Of course! Shippo, this is Myoga, Inuyasha's vassal…" She starts but is soon cut off.

"Hello there, Shippo! It is a pleasure to personally meet a kitsune."

"Hi…" He whispers.

"Hold up, Myoga, you're old as shit. How have you never met a kitsune?" I stand up and walk over to squat next to Moriko.

"Maybe it's cause he prefers _dogs_." Moriko snickers. I send her an annoyed glare.

" _Funny_."

"Actually, you're not entirely wrong, Moriko-sama, but kitsune are not very social creatures. I have _seen_ kitsune, but I have never gotten to personally know one. They often stick to their own kind." Myoga explains softly.

"Or maybe they just don't like _pests_." I sneer. Moriko holds back a laugh at that, and I shoot her a grin, Myoga choking on his words.

"W-why you—!"

"I've never met a hanyou or miko before… Or a flea youkai." Shippo intervenes in our 'squabble', and we all turn our attention towards him again.

"I'm sorry, would you like to join our conversation, sweetie?"

This is the second time I've heard her adopt a maternalistic tone of voice, and not only do I find hearing such a voice _strange,_ I also find it oddly _comforting_.

 _Maybe it's because she isn't angry? A gentle voice is much more pleasant to hear, so it's no wonder kids seem to like her so much._

"You know, Moriko's told me a bit about you, kit; your powers and all. Actually," I turn my gaze towards her, resting my chin on my propped-up palm. "Weren't you talking about training him or something after we gather everyone?"

She grins widely, "I see that you were paying attention!" I nearly fall back on my ass.

"Of course, I was! We were having a serious conversation!" I can't help but raise my voice in displeasure. She immediately raises her hands in a calming gesture.

"Hold on, my friend, I didn't mean it like that. You have the tendency to tune people out when you get antsy or bored, and I wasn't sure if my droning was worth listening to in your eyes." She rests her palms down as she plops back onto the ground, and she sends me a soft smile. "I'm sorry I didn't think to ask first, I was just flattered that you genuinely listened to me."

 _Well, now I almost feel like the bad guy, even though she's the one apologizing._

"Are you trying to guilt me or somethin', wench?" I grind out.

"Not at all. I'm wholeheartedly apologizing for making an assumption. That was my own fault, not yours." She finishes warmly, that damn smile still on her face.

"Feh." _Wow, not blaming me. This girl is on a roll with first times._

"I'm surprised you didn't get mad at him." A squeaky voice chimes in.

"Me too, Shippo. She is quite patient with him, I must say."

"Oi!"

"Hey now," Moriko casts a stern glare towards Myoga and Shippo. "It's not his fault he felt insulted that I thought he wasn't paying attention. He's allowed to have emotions, too, you know."

My retort about 'measly human emotions' quickly dies in my throat as I process her words. _I'm allowed to feel insulted? I mean, I guess I did, but…_

"I didn't mean that!" Shippo rushes. "I just meant, ya know, he yelled in your face! And he didn't accept your apology, either. Usually people get angry when they're treated like that, _especially_ by a hanyou, but you didn't even blink an eye."

"And would you like to know why, Shippo?" She says calmly. We all lean in towards her a bit, for even I'm curious as to what her answer could be. She crosses her legs, props up her elbows on her knees, and rests her hands on her cheeks. "Because… I had no right to be angry."

A simple answer, but I'm pretty sure she just blew all of our minds off the face of the Earth.

"Moriko-sama, truly not something so easy as that? Do you not have your own emotions and feelings? Did he not hurt yours?"

I resist the strong temptation to slam my fist onto the old flea.

"Of course, I have feelings, but I was in the wrong. And honestly, we've had a much worse, how can I say, 'argument' before, after I shattered the Shikon jewel." I feel the tingling of guilt creeping up my spine at her reminder of that day, but her continued words dispel the feeling real quick. "He was angry with me for keeping him in the dark, which is understandable, but I tried my best to explain that I had my reasons. He insulted me, ignored me, and avoided me, but I understood why. I knew he wasn't trying to be cruel or anything of that manner, but he was _angry_. And he didn't know what to do with it other than to take it out on me in the best way he knew how, and while it's not a _good_ thing; well, let's just say he's lucky I understand him so well." She chuckles now, glancing at me with light eyes. "Besides, he apologized, even though it was without words, and I can honestly say, I was even more pleased with _his_ version of an apology."

Her words our met with our silence, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say my face couldn't get any redder.

"Wow. Are you two mates or something? I'd find a hanyou and miko hard to believe from what I've heard, but you two seem really close."

I freeze, not a single word able to leave my mouth. _I hate being wrong_.

Thankfully, her face's hue quickly matches my own. "O-oh, no. Nothing like that, Shippo. We've been friends for just nearly a week now."

"Y-yeah, don't go talking about things you don't understand, brat!" I unconsciously raise my fist to bop him on the head when a small hand grabs my wrist.

"No physical violence! He was just asking an honest question!" Her voice loses its fluster and turns sharp.

"I'm too old for a scolding, bitch! He should learn to keep his mouth shut!" I shoot back.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

* * *

 **Moriko**

 _Goddamn motherfucking shit on a stick._

 _And it was such a peaceful moment, too._

"It's alright, Shippo. You just said the first thing on your mind, which is not very different from my friend here, if I were honest." I release his wrist, ignoring his displeased whine at my comment. "I'd only scold you if you were to be disrespectful to him, but that also works in reverse. Understood, Inuyasha? If you're rude, I won't hesitate to be stern with you."

He scoffs, "You really think _I care_ about a scolding, woman? If you think I care, then you don't know me as well as you think you do." He turns his face away, nose pointed up in a very… _Snooty_ manner.

"Oh, my bad, Inuyasha. Is it the same way you don't—" My words screech to a halt as I remember a promise I made him.

I promised I wouldn't read him in front of others.

 _Oh, but how tempting it is._

"The same way I don't what, wench?" He urges.

"I was about to do something I promised you I wouldn't." I say, a hint of an apology in my tone.

Immediately, his entire 'bratty child' demeanor drops and is replaced with shock, and a bit of confusion. "What promise?"

"I don't get it, nothing you were saying sounded like something someone would make a promise about." Shippo chimes in.

"That's because I hadn't said it yet, Shippo; and Inuyasha, I'll tell you later at some point."

He replies with a wordless nod of his head, and I decide to change our topic to what started this whole spiel in the first place. "Anyway, as Inuyasha brought up earlier…" I turn to Shippo and pat my lap. He grins and scrambles to use my leg as a comfy seat. "Did you know that on a nearby mountain, there's a kitsune training monastery?"

He gasps, "No! I had no idea! Are you saying you'll take me there for me to train my magic?"

 _He looks so excited! I'm glad he won't mind being away from us every once in a while._

"Yup! And while you may not go on all of our travels, the better you get at your tricks, the more often you can come with us. Does that sound like a deal, Shippo?"

"Deal! Deal! Deal!" He leaps off my lap and hops from paw to paw, clapping his hands. "I can't believe it! Watch me, I'm gonna be the most powerful kitsune ever; just wait and see!"

"Don't go getting cocky on us now, runt. Besides, we've still got others that need to join our group before we can take you there." Inuyasha stands and moves to pick up my bag. He looks at me over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get going. I'd rather find their hideout before twilight."

"Okay! Come on, you two, feel free to hop on." I offer my shoulder to the boy and flea.

Truly, Shippo only seems to reach the size of a three, _maybe_ four-year-old, and is _much_ lighter, I notice, as he lands on my left shoulder.

 _And off we go…_

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

Her comment about a promise she made to me throws itself around my mind over and over again.

 _What promise?_ _I don't remember!_

I ignore her voice as she chats with Shippo and Myoga about our future companions. _Surely, if I can't remember the promise, it can't be that important, can it?_

"Inuyasha!"

I freeze and whirl my head around, "What?!"

She has a strange look on her face, as if she's seeing through me. "I… I think I'm sensing jewel shards!"

 _Wait, does that mean—?_

The sky starts to darken, and we all shift our gazes towards the sky. I flinch at a surge of youki, and I grab Moriko and dart _far_ away from her previous spot. A streak of lightening strikes the now uninhabited dirt.

"I think they found us first…" I mutter, setting her down, along with her bag.

"Are you two alri- ugh, Myoga ran for it." Moriko groans lowly, lifting Shippo from her shoulder to the ground. "Stay a little further away, Shippo; I don't want you hurt."

"Okay! Want me to take your pack?" He asks, grabbing a strap.

She smiles, "That'd be great, thank you! Now hurry and hide!"

"Alright!" He scampers away, slowly, dragging the slightly-larger-than-him pack behind him into the nearby forest.

"Man, and we didn't even get near their hideout. I bet they sensed the power from the shards or something…" She whispers.

"Not at all, little miko; we knew you were coming."

She shrieks and grabs my arm as I turn us around to face the—

 _Gross._

"Eewww…"

"That's an understatement…" I snicker.

"Oh my… What an exotic look you have, girlie… Not the most beautiful woman, but delicious looking, nonetheless…" He licks his lips and I feel her shiver.

"No thanks! I don't take good care of my skin, I probably don't taste good at all!" She chuckles nervously.

"Oh, Manten will devour any woman with some meat on her bones; apparently they have a lot more _flavor_." I knew voice pops up behind us, and I turn, except Moriko continues to face— Manten? — and I silently thank her for the smart move.

"Fuck off! She's not a meal, especially not yours." I growl.

"Oh? And is she for you to eat?"

Her arm tightens, and my focus nearly shifts when her scent slightly changes to something strange, but only for a second. _The Hell was that? Whatever._

"No, I don't eat humans like you fuckers." I reach for Tessaiga's hilt and pull it out, keeping the blade dormant. _Maybe I can surprise him…_ "Now, are you ready to die?"

The guy busts out into laughter after glancing at my katana, and I resist the livid snarl threatening to spill.

"Y-y-you call _that_ a _weapon_?"

 _I'll show you a fucking weapon!_

"Hiten, surely, this hanyou must be a joke!"

Moriko releases my arm at that and draws her own katana. She leans in near me, "So, are we gonna show 'em?"

I grin, "You fuckin' know it."

* * *

Gotta love Inu's immaturity... _Not_.

At least she knows how to work with it!


	13. Author's Note 3

AHHHH

So I am not dead!

I haven't had access to a laptop in TWO MONTHS

Specifically, MY LAPTOP

Which has been BROKEN since the first week of JUNE

And it's still broken, I'm on my friend's laptop rn, BUT, it's getting fixed this week!

So, I apologize for the long wait, but before this month is over, at least two chapters will be uploaded once it's fixed!

Thank you all for sticking around!


	14. What a Shocking Experience!

MY LAPTOP IS FIXED

I just got it today omg I'm so happy.

I'm gonna try and get multiple chapters done asap to make up for y'all's wait. Thank you all for being so patient!

By the way, don't forget to check out my deviantart or Tumblr for official art. ALSO, my YouTube channel has a playlist just for Moriko, but fair warning, there are some fairly obvious spoilers contained within some of the songs. My channel is Moriko Meisei, and my accts are all under MorikoTheHalfAngel.

I'll also be starting a soon and turning this into a comic series!

Enjoy the chapter!

 **Disclaimer: Do I have to do this, I'm a broke college student from America, not Rumiko Takahashi.**

* * *

Chapter 9: What a Shocking Experience!

 **Moriko**

 _Here goes nothing_.

"Awe, is the little girlie going to try and kill me with an itty-bitty katana?" Manten snickers.

"Ugh, shut your giant-ass mouth!" I shout. "Seriously, I know you eat women, but why does your mouth have to be so fugly?"

He growls, "Those aren't very nice words, wench!"

 _Oh, I'll show you 'nice', jackass._

I whisper as quietly as I can to Inuyasha, "Hey. They have a few jewel shards in their foreheads. Aim there so they can't regenerate."

"Gotcha." He whispers back.

"And if any of them try to shoot you with a youki fueled blast, use your sheath as a shield. That's another ace up our sleeve."

"Uhhhh, alright?"

"Oi, what are you two whispering about?" Hiten's voice reaches my ears, and I ready my stance.

"None of your fuckin' business, now let's settle this!" I feel Inuyasha's arm shift forward away from his body. _What's with him and pointing his sword at his opponents?_

"Watch your tongue, half-breeds have no say in _battle_. This will simply be another easy _slaughter_." I can hear the grin in his words, and I feel Inuyasha's back stiffen against mine.

 _As good a time as ever_ …

"Now!" I whisper.

I dart forward, trying to remember every single piece of training and self-defense I've ever taught myself. Manten is almost like some sort of reptilian-youkai, but he looks more like a shark, honestly. _Like the Storm Shark spell from Wizard101, heh._

 _Ah, focus!_

His skin is probably super tough, and he's likely made up of complete muscle and cartilage.

He fights with his strength and with his lightning breath attack, while Hiten is more of a melee fighter, using his lightning pike and dexterity. In comparison, Inuyasha will have an easier time defeating Hiten than I will.

So…

 _Let's hope I can take on his strength._

* * *

 **Inuyasha**

I dart forward as Moriko gives her signal to fight, her words in the back of my mind for now.

 _Just kick the fuckers' asses and make sure neither of us die while doing so._

Hiten doesn't move as I swing Tessaiga towards him, which means… _Holy shit, they're stupid._

"This'll teach you not to take me for a fucking _weakling_!" I shout as I will Tessaiga to transform. The light spreads, but even with his speed, he doesn't react fast enough to dodge, only to block with his trident. _Damn, fast reflexes…_

"So, I guess I shouldn't take you for face-value, mutt? Then this'll be an interesting fight, indeed!" He leans forward and grins. "Let's only hope," He says, voice lowered. "That the female isn't fried before this battle is over."

"If anyone's getting fried, it's your ugly-ass brother!" I retort, and I quickly glance behind me to check on Moriko.

And she's fucking **gone**.

 _Fuck!_ Panic begins to seep into my mind. _Where'd she go? Did she flee? Or did she..._

"She ran for it. Women are such cowards, aren't they? Always need a man to save them. She ran into the trees, and we know you can't help her there. She's on her own." He laughs and bashes me back, but I hold fast and keep my stance locked to the ground.

 _Or did she_ _ **lead**_ _?_

"Well," I reply slowly, and as I ready Tessaiga once again, I decide to play along. "I guess you know women pretty well."

He frowns and aims his trident at me. "More than you do, and more than you ever will." The forked tip begins crackling with lightning and deciding to keep an 'ace up my sleeve', whatever the fuck that means, I dodge the bolt instead of using my sheath.

"Ha! Was that aimed at me?" I laugh as I flip onto a tree-branch nearby.

"Argh, come back and fight like a _real_ youkai, half-breed!" He yells and flies towards me—

 _Really fast!_

I jump just as his trident jams into the trunk of the tree. _Close enough._

"Oh, trust me, I'm not one to run from a fight." I shoot him a smirk as he rips his trident out from the bark, glaring at me all the while. " _You_ might be, though…"

He growls— _eh, good enough_ — and races towards me once again.

" _They have a few jewel shards in their foreheads."_

 _Target acquired._ I round him to bring Tessaiga down onto his head, cause why not just split the guy in half? _Gotcha—!_

"Gah!" Searing pain shoots up my side and nearly locks me in place as the fucker shocks me, but I manage to move away just before he could stab me with it. I glance down at my left side and see a burnt and tattered rip in my suikan. _Son of a…_

"Aw, did I ruin your wardrobe?" He taunts, and I snarl in reply.

 _Oh, it's_ _ **on**_ _._

Moriko told me on our first night that a way she uses her anger as fuel is if she concentrates really hard on something, so it won't take over her mind. I sigh and zero in on the Shikon shards in his forehead. _Focus._

"Oh, no reply? Did I damage your ego, too?" He snickers. "Well, guess I'll do you one better and just end your suffering!" He, not being very… Unique, darts up and aims down towards me diagonally, charging up his trident once again.

 _Focus._

I brace my legs and reach one hand towards my hip.

 _Time it right._

If I don't dodge, he'll think he got me, right?

" _That's another ace up our sleeve."_

"Die!" He shouts over the crackling of the lightning now racing towards me. I grab my sheath and wait for it.

 _I can block the lightning and the flash should provide enough cover…_ I remove it and shift to hold it in front of me. _And I can surprise him from below._

The impact causes the ground beneath me to break. Luckily, my arm is stronger, and holds fast to the attack burning the grass around me. I decide to just abandon the sheath and run around the bolt to get below him. I can hear him laughing from just above, aiding me in finding just the right spot to aim for.

I jump, Tessaiga's sharp edge facing upwards. Another bout of luck for me, his shitty flying style has his legs spread wide open.

He doesn't even notice me slice him in half, except for a gross croak of surprise coming from his halved throat.

"Don't underestimate a hanyou, you bastard." I mutter. His halved body falls to the ground in a hard _thump_. I land next to it and quickly reach to retrieve the three jewel shards before his body can revive itself. As I pick up the last one, his body flashes and turns to some sparkly ash.

 _Do all youkai die like that?_

"Inuyasha!"

I whip my head around to see Shippo running towards me holding my sheath. "Shippo! Do you know where Moriko and ugly-ass went?"

He quickly nods his head, "Yeah, she went down this side of the road and into the forest on the left. I think she was trying to avoid me." He mumbles dejectedly.

I scoff. "No duh, runt, she didn't want you caught in the fray." I redon my sheath and turn to where he pointed. "Come on, we gotta go make sure she's okay."

"Wait! I can't carry her pack alone." Shippo whines softly.

"Of course, you can't. She has all the items a damned battalion would need in there. I'll get it." I hop over to his hiding spot behind a bush, grab the bag, and hop back over to him. "Get on, I'll get us there faster."

"O-oh, alright!" He jumps up onto my shoulder and grips my fire-rat with his paws. "Ready!"

 _Wench, you better be alive._

* * *

 **Moriko**

"I find it hard to believe that he thinks you'll survive this 'fight', woman. Are you sure he's not just letting me get rid of you for him?" Manten laughs as he raises up his— whatever the fuck his hands even are.

"Oh, not at all. He knows I can handle myself." I reply. _Sort of?!_

"Maybe with a human, or a hanyou like himself, but not with us full-bloods." He licks his chops and grins. "I may skip the stew and just devour you whole, little wench."

A shiver runs up my spine, and I realize that he's much taller than myself, and therefore, if I'm to try and fight him out in the open, he can easily overpower me in speed, even if he's not that fast.

 _Gotta take him where I've got some even ground…_

And the forest around us at the moment would be perfect. I glance towards Shippo's hiding spot and mentally mark that area as a no-go. "Well, if you wanna eat me…" I sheath my katana and take off in a sprint down the road we just came, "You'll have to catch me!" I hear a roar behind me and a cackle of lightning, but not of Manten's. _Is it Hiten's?_ I don't look back as I dart left into a small grove of trees.

I slow down and dart my eyes around to spot a good place to ambush. Not a tree too tall, I'd rather not die stupidly by falling today, but nothing at his height, either. I push on looking for the perfect spot when a giant light shines behind me, just as I feel the impact of an explosion rock the earth. _Now THAT was Manten, holy fuck!_

"You can't hide from me, little girl!" I hear him yell from… Far enough.

I frantically begin searching again, my legs beginning to burn already from the long sprint I held. _Fuck you, legs._ As I'm cursing my body, I notice a fairly young black pine with multiple branches just low enough for me to possibly reach by jumping. I change my course and speed up to reach the tree before he reaches me. The needles will, thankfully, provide just enough cover for me to not be obviously spotted. _At least, not from a human's perspective, but it'll have to do!_

I reach the trunk and attempt to get a foothold with my tennis shoes, and I wrap my arms around the trunk in a bear hug to hold on. I quickly begin inching my way up, and as I'm nearing a low branch, I hear another explosion. Much closer.

 _REACH IT REACH IT REACH IT!_

I grab the branch and pray for its sturdiness to hold me up as I hoist myself onto it, staying near the base.

"Oh, miko~! Where have you gone?" A rough sing-song voice reaches my ears from maybe thirty feet away.

I stay crouched and look around to see if I can spot him. I'm about to try and climb higher when he barrels through some bushes with a grunt.

I notice him beginning to sniff the air, and I twitch. _Don't tell me he can…_

"I can smell your fear… Come on out, now! I'll play nice… I _promise_." He chuckles.

I nearly groan at the cheesy line. I quietly unsheathe my katana and watch him, keeping an eye out for the perfect moment. He walks over to the pine next to mine, facing away from me. "Are you up here? Should I turn you to ash, or will you run before then? I don't want to burn you up, I would love to try some of your flesh, if you don't mind."

 _Eughhhhhhh._

Other than the disturbing comment, this moment seems perfect to me. The sound of his blast will likely be able to cover up the sound of my feet if I run up behind him and backstab him. What else am I supposed to do, hand to hand combat?!

If I can straight up purify him, then great. If I fuck up, then at least he's slightly wounded?

 _Oh well, here goes nothing._

He charges up the blast from his mouth, and I bend my knees to get ready to jump. He releases it, and I 'nimbly' leap from the branch and roughly land, squatting to brace the impact. I shoot back up and begin to run towards him, the blast still demolishing the poor tree next to mine. I attempt to charge up my sword with reiki, annnnd I try to slice him down his head like Inuyasha does to Hiten in the story.

I fucked up my reiki.

My katana is currently lodged into the cranium of a shrieking, bald, reptile/shark youkai with lightning breath.

And it's just _barely_ touching what I think is a jewel shard, and then I remember that he only has two jewel shards, and that they're beside each other and not really in the middle.

 _God damn it._

"Argh, you bitch, that's not fair!" He bellows.

I hold onto the now stuck weapon as he tries to swing around and catch me, but he just ends up practically flinging me and the sword onto where the tree once stood. I land on my ass and Lord, that's gonna leave one Helluva bruise.

I wince as I stand, and before I can open my eyes, the wind gets knocked out of me as a huge fist collides with chest.

I land on my back with a hard _thud_ as my head cracks against the ground. _My ass and my chest are gonna be bruised now, damn._ Thankfully, my 'chest' is probably 90% fat, which in turn absorbed most of the impact.

Go figure.

"That hurt, you little wench. I'm going to enjoy ripping you limb from limb!" He looms over me, and he begins to reach for me.

Adrenaline kicks in, and I scramble back. "Get _away_!" I get ahold of my katana and keep it aimed towards him. "Don't touch me or I'll purify you!"

A guffaw wracks his body, and I realize that his skull is already healed… And completely bald.

He just hasn't noticed.

And there's no way in Hell that I'm saying anything about it.

"Purify me? Why didn't you do it the first time then?"

 _Got me there…_

"I was going easy on you!" I sneer.

"Your mistake!" He shouts and charges me.

But if I can just hit his—

A flash of red and silver lands behind him, and another flash of light goes _through_ him. He drops to the ground and disappears, two jewel shards left behind. "Well, that was a lot easier."

I glance back up at my savior and see Inuyasha with my backpack and Shippo waving at me on his shoulder. "Hi, Moriko! Glad we got here in time!"

I softly nod my head in awe and grin. "Yeah…"

Inuyasha fishes out what I assume are Hiten's shards and picks up Manten's shards. He ambles over to me and holds his palm out. "Well, here ya go."

I nod again and take them, quickly adding them to our collection of shards, now at seven.

He eyes me up and down. "You alright? You got some dirt on ya."

I shrug. "Pretty sure I'm gonna have a bruised ass and some bruised ribs, but other than that, I'm fine. Maybe a lump on my head."

His face shows slight concern. "Bruises? From what?"

I smile sheepishly, "Yeah… He kinda punched me in the chest, and it sent me flying. I couldn't catch myself."

"Well… We'll have babaa check it out, just to be safe, alright?" He states with a low air of authority.

"Okay, but don't think I didn't notice that gaping hole in your suikan." I look down pointedly at the wound at his side.

"Pfft, please, it'll be healed by tomorrow, probably sooner. He only struck me once." He brushes me off.

"Fine." I reply.

He huffs. "Fine."

I giggle. "Let's go then. We've had enough adventure for today."

"But I didn't even get to fight!" Shippo whines.

I give him a wide smile. "You'll get to soon, I promise, but you should really get some professional practice beforehand. We made a deal, remember?"

He sighs, "Yeah, I remember."

 _Speaking of deals…_ I glance over at Inuyasha as we restart our trek home. _I wonder if he remembers ours?_

"Hey, Moriko." He starts up.

I flinch. "Uh, yeah?"

"What's an 'ace up our sleeve'?"

* * *

A/N

I know it's kinda short, but the next chapter will be a complete one, not in halves or nothing.

Next up- Some spooky shit.


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